The Snow Man

The Snow Man

“One must have a mind of winter 

To regard the frost and the boughs 

Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time 

To behold the junipers shagged with ice, 

The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think 

Of any misery in the sound of the wind, 

In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land 

Full of the same wind 

That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow, 

And, nothing himself, beholds 

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.”

                                ~Wallace Stevens

            While reading Grendel, we have discussed illusion vs. reality. On page 22, Grendel says “I create the whole universe blink by blink.—An ugly god pitifully dying in a tree!” which suggests that one’s reality is based upon perspective and that everyone is the creator of their reality. As a result many ideas aren't necessarily universal such as good or evil. Similarly, in “The Snow Man”, Wallace Stevens suggests that your idea of reality is influenced by your perspective. In the poem, Wallace compares the different descriptions of winter from the viewpoint of a person whose reality is just what he sees and a person who uses their perspective to understand and form his own reality .

            The first stanza of the poem describes winter in a very non-objective way.  There are no interpretations. It is just a description of what is simply there. However to do this, “One must have a mind of winter”. I believe this means that for someone to see winter for what it is without casting judgment on it such as whether or not they like winter, they must view it with detachment and indifference.

             Now the description of winter in the second stanza sharply contrasts the description of it in the first stanza. While in the first stanza Stevens depicts winter with a very cut and dry description, in the second stanza he offers interpretations and analysis of winter. He describes winter as “cold” and the spruces as “rough” and thus he is offering his judgments of winter. The second line of the stanza begins with “To behold” which gives winter a wondrous and mystical representation.  The reason why this stanza differed so much from the first was because he allows his own perspective and interpretations of reality to influence his description of winter.  This reveals the impact that our own beliefs and viewpoints have on our interpretation of reality. For example, in Grendel, the Shaper doesn't change what actually happens, he changes the Dane's perception of the events. 

              The third stanza however suggests that it is human tendency to try to interpret the world around us. Rather than just observing, humans analyze and try to give meaning to things. As a result our own perception is always shaping our perceived reality and thus two people can have different understandings of reality even in the same situation. However if we didn't do this, we would simply be observing without interpreting and understanding what we see.

              The fourth stanza suggests that we still observe the same things even though we interpret them differently. There is a universal “sound of the land” that we all share. Also there is “the same wind that is blowing in the same bare place” and no matter where you are, you experience that same wind.

              The poem closes by indicating the necessity of our own perspective and interpretations when observing the world. Without it, we observe without understanding. In doing so we see “Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is” and instead end up seeing nothing.