LindseyWeinstein

Mrs.Pritchard
EnglishII:AmericanLiterature
5April2016
NeverEnding
ThelifeofEdwinArlingtonRobinsonwaslonelyanddrabbutnomatterthestruggle
Robinsonperseveredthroughhispoetryandforwardphilosophies.Robinsondidnothavean
easylife.Hedidnothavetimetoenjoylifebecauseasayoungchildbecauseheexperienced
manyfamilyandmoneyproblems.Healsohadsocialproblems,whichledtohimspendingmost
ofhislifealone,writing.Robinsonspoetryisconcernedwithpersonaldefeatandthetragic
complexitiesoflife.ThelonelinessandisolationRobinsonexperiencedwasunbearable,andso
hisisolationleadstotheideaofthelightandanendingtothemadness.
nd
RobinsonwasborninthesmalltownofAlna,MaineonDecember22
in1869.While

hewasyoung,hisparentshadasignificantamountofwealth.Afterhighschool,hestudiedat
HarvardUniversity.Robinsonwasalonelyandquietboywhokepttohimself.Aftercollege,he
begantowork.Hedespisedtheworkhewasdoingbecausehewantedtowrite,butneededthe
moneyfromhisjobtosupporthimself.Astimegrewonhecouldnotbeartheideaofnot
writing.Hebegantowriteandafteryearsofhardworkbegantogrowpopular.After,hespent
therestofhislifewritinghispoetry.

Robinsonslifeappearedtobelackluster.AlthoughRobinsonlivedasolitarylife,he
filledhislifewithhappinessandpoetry:
NopoeteverunderstoodlonelinessorseparatenessbetterthanRobinsonorknewthe
selfconsumingfurnacethatthebraincanbecomeinisolation,thesuicidalhellishnessof
it,doomedasitistofeedonitselfinanswerlessfrustration,fatedtothisconditionbythe
accidentofhumanbirth,whichcarrieswithitthehungerforcertaintyandtheintolerable
loadofpersonalrecollections(Evans).
Robinsonwasalonelymanwhosawtheproblemsinhissocietyandhislifeandassociatedthem
withhisworks.Robinsondevotedhislifetohiswriting.Hesufferedtheconsequencesofan
isolatedlifestyle,withnofamilyandveryfewfriends.ThenarratorinTheBurningBook
sharessimilarideasoftheconceptofbeinglonely,Andaloneherejoices/Inthechoirthat
silenceaffords/OfineffableVoices(Robinson2224).Thenarratorisaloneandcontentwhile
thesilenceconsumeshimthestillnessandseclusionoverwhelmthenarrator'spsyche.Robinson
wasacreativewriter,withadifferentperspective.Robinsoncreatedgruesomepoemsunlike
otherpoetryduringhistime.RobinsonagreedTheworld[was]flawed,butifeveryoneworks
hardtomakeitbeautiful,itwillbe(Oakes).RobinsoncomparedAmericasproblemstohis
poemsandthecharactersendeavors.Robinsonbelievedtheworldwasmodular.Thecoldpress
ofindustrialismtookatollonpeople'sliveshecreatedpoemsthatconnectedtotheseverityof
thesocialsituationduringhislifetime.Heusedhispoetrytoshowhisviewsontheworld.He
showswhomhebelievesthevillainisandwhomhebelievestheherois.Inhispoem,twoyoung
boysgooutoftheirwaytohelpawomaneventhoughthereareroaringwindsandharshweather

conditions.Atthistime,Americahadfewheroes.RobinsonusesthepoemTheReturnof
MorganandFingaltoalludetothefewprotagonistsofthetime.Robinsonwaslonely,buthe
wasgratefulthathecouldseetheharshnessoftheworldanduseitinapositivewaybyturningit
intopoetry.
ThegoalistomakethemostoutoflifeandforRobison,itwaswritingpoetry.Inorder
forRobinsontofindeternalhappiness,youneedtodowhatmakesyouhappyandworkhard
becausedeathisnottheend.Robinsonwasanexistentialistthinkerwhobelievedinfreechoice
andindividualexistence.Becauseofthis,hethoughtthattofindtruehappinessyoumustnot
concentrateonbecominghappy,buttoletithappenonitsown.Toachievehappinessinlife,you
needtolocatethesmallbitsofhappinessandallowthemtobecomemore.Tobehappyisto
breakfreefromthebindingsofguiltanddespair.Robinsondescribedthewaytobeblissful"for
peopletocometotermswithlifeontheiraccount,tofindsomedegreeofpeaceandsatisfaction
withinthemselves"(qtd.inOverall).Hardworkcreatessomethingmarvelous.Thewaytoleave
amarkontheworldistoworkhardenoughtoachieveyourgoals.Usinghismemoriesofpain
andsuffering,Robinsonrememberedwhatwasimportantinlife.Hebelievedthatwashardwork
andhappiness.Inhispoem,strangepeoplewhoneedhelpfacethecharactersMorganand
Fingal.Noquestionsaskedthetwoboysgotosupport,
SoIsaid,Butwewearewhat,wethree?
AndIsawthecreatureshake.
Bequick!shecried,forIleftherdead

AndIwasafraidtocome
Butyou,youthree
Godmadeitbe
Willferrythedeadgirlhome(TheReturnofMorganandFingal228).
Thecharactersinthepoemexpresstheideaofhardworkputforthineverythingyoudo,no
mattertheconsequences,andthatwithhardworkcomespeace.Robinsonsbelievedin
eschatology,theideathatyoursoullivesonafterdeath.InRobinsonsopinion,Individual
salvationwasoutofthequestion,butsomewhere,somehow,therewouldbeagrowthin
knowledge,agradualdisclosurethatheoftendesignatedastheLight(ChicagoReview).
Whenwedie,itisnottheend.Thereissomethingbeyondourlivessothatwhenwedie,ourlife
isnotover.Theendispeacefulandaremindereverythinghasthegiftofdying.Fortherest,he
willhavehisrelease,/Andhisembers,attended/Bythelargeandunclamoringpeace/Ofa
dreamthatisended(TheBurningBook2933).Theendisadreamcometrueandanendtoan
era,butalsothebeginningofone.Robisonwritingswereoutoftheordinary.Hewrotesad
storieswithhappyphilosophiesandbelievedinhardworkthatwillhelpyoutofindthe
happinessthatwillallowyoutoachievetheLight.
Robisonwasuniquetothewritersofhistime,hesacrificedhislifeforhispoetryand
createdamessageineachofhispoems.Painisinevitabletopushthroughandfinishiswhat
makesapersonhealthy.Robinsonspoetryoftencontainedathemeofcharacterizationof
unhappyandlonelyhumanconditions.Toachievegreatness,inRobinsonsopinion,youwill

onlycompletethetaskbygoingthroughagony.Robinsonspainwasthereasonhispoetrywas
astonishing.ItissaidOutofthepainofhislifeandtheliveshesawaroundhimhemanagedto
produceahandfuloftrulymemorablelyricsthatwillsurelybereadandadmiredforaslongas
poetryitselfsurvives(Evans).Robinsonachievedhisgoalbyworkingtirelesslyandby
sacrificinghissociallifeforpoetry.Robinsongaveupmanyaspectsoflifesuchasfriendsand
family,toworkonwhattruthfullymatteredtohim,hispoetry.Whenthenarratordies,his
sufferingisrememberedbytheleavesthatarecrinkledandcurled/Arehisashesofglory,/And
whatoncewereanendoftheworld/Isanendofastory(TheBurningBook1316).Robinson
wasnotapartofoneparticularmovementorafollowerofoneparticularideahecreatedhis
path.Robinsonusedthecharacterizationofthehumanconditiontodescribehisopinioninhis
historicalcontext.Robinsonwasnotaphilosopher,andhedidnotsupportamessage,heused
differentformsofpoetrytoexpresshismanydifferentideas.DuringRobinsonslife,he
masteredtheartofwritingmisfortunatestorieswithsurpriseendings,makingeachofhispoems
unique.Robinsondidnotfollowthecorrectpathormovementhemadeanewwayof
unconventionalanduniqueideas.
Robisonsunconventionallifestyleandpoetrycreatedanewperspectiveontheflat
worldandmadeitbeautiful.Heworkedforlongamountsoftimealonewhenheworkedhe
workedashardashecould.Hebelievedinfindinghappinessbydoingwhatmakesyouhappy.
Robinsonhaduniqueideasthatwereunlikeanyotherpoetbecausehebelievedintheconceptof
anafterlifeandaLight.ToachievethehighhappinessthatRobinsonwritesabout,Robinson
describestheexperiencesthathewentthroughsuchaspainandsufferingtocreateandachieve
hisgoals.Theuniverseismadandgruesome,butRobisonperseveredthroughhisquietlifestyle.

Consequently,thisleadstotheideaofpeaceattheendofthemadness.Theworldismad,
painful,andlonelybutwearehumanswhopushthroughtheterrorsoftheworldtomake
memoriesandbehappy.

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.Robinson,EdwinArlington."TheBuringBook."1916.
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