Nighthawks Poem

Nighthawks
In life, some people may be Nighthawks. They are not like an owl of the night, but outcasts instead. Although living in the world’s busiest places, surrounded by life and connection, these people have isolated themselves emotionally from those around them and are just feasting upon life’s most taboo pleasures. Using the socially disconnected characters, Samuel Yellen emphasizes the idea that that only by living a life of daring and excitement will humans ever be truly content with their lives.
Those described in the poem are described as being distant from one another; they are disconnected socially and emotionally. Although the man and woman are right next to each other -- their hands close, but not touching -- they do not even
These facts are important because it describes the situation in which they are at this shop. They are not there mid-day, nor is it anywhere fancy. They are at this generic shop because it happens to be what is open into the late hours of the night, the only place for a quiet escape from the busy reality they are living in. Though the people involved at this shop do not speak. (Yellen 4). They merely sit amongst one another in silence, possibly because they have nothing to say to one another. Although the man and woman sit beside each other, they are complete strangers socially, and the man across from them has nothing to say, he is just a hawk of the night, wishing to stay a loner. Those seated at the counter are not the only characters in this story, for you, the reader, are among the characters described. You walk along the outside of this shop, noticing and describing what you call “patrons of life” (Yellen 6). These people may only see life as though they are patrons to it, having only a stay where they are to gorge on what it has to offer before they inevitably leave sooner or later. They just wish to be served the pleasures or satisfactions of whatever life has to offer. Nighthawks
Lynn Aikman is quoted with saying “Nighthawks is a powerful and dramatic portrayal of loneliness” (Aikman 27). In her interpretation, she notes the man and the woman, specifically how their hands almost are touching but not quite, and how this creates a sense of “Sexuality, boredom, solitude, detachment, and thoughtfulness” (Aikman 27). Another critic, Rebecca Swayze has said how the scene itself really emphasizes “the dichotomy of the city as a place for life and a place for work” (Swayze 27). She believes there is a stark juxtaposition between the characters and the setting itself, they contrast between their loneliness, and the lively nature of the city scene in which their coffee shop is located (Swayze 27) These other critics all have close to the same idea over their interpretation of the work, while some may be worded differently, almost every one of them believes that “Nighthawks” is supposed to highlight the deep purpose of modern human nature to seclude ourselves even in the most crowded, and busy lives. The artist of the Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, who inspired the poem Nighthawks, is known for creating “human types, rather than human beings” (Tushnet 24). By using many, minuscule details, Hopper heightens the depth of the individual characters portrayed, and Yellen does the same. While providing the reader with what seems like small details on the outside, as you delve deeper