Stephen Crane's Interpretation Of A Story Told In 'Desert Places'
In “Desert Places,” Stephen Crane uses various poetic details to write his own interpretation of a story told within the bible. His poem is derived from when Jesus was telling his disciples to, “let the little children come to me,” in Matthew 19:14. Crane’s poem, in its entirety, symbolizes how sometimes it is so easy to look down on people within a society, never stopping to see the beauty they possess. In the same way, the story from the bible takes place after children are devalued because of their age.
In chapter 19 of Matthew, Jesus scolded his disciples when they rebuked the children, acting as though they were undeserving of Jesus’ time and attention. Jesus then tells his disciples that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the children,
and they have no right to hinder the children’s ability to come to him. Similarly, the father in Crane’s poem, informs the tutor, when he comes to him complaining that the children gathered all of the flowers for themselves, that there is no reason why the “stronger, bolder, and shrewder” children should not have the flowers (l.20). In this way, both works illustrate the idea that children are beautiful and should never be undermined or looked down on because of their age.
In the poem, Crane draws up a division between the children and the tutor through descriptive phrases and imagery that allow readers to visualize the poem’s purpose more accurately. The children are described by the father as beautiful. They can be seen as happy and blessed in lines like, “ran there joyously,” (l.2) “having opportunity and skill,” (1.7) and “beautiful strong” (l.23). Compared to the children, the tutor is uptight and unable to simply enjoy life, like the children are able to do. The tutor is seen as a worried and quick tempered. The tutor from Crane’s poem and the disciples from the book of Matthew share similar characteristics in that both are quick to judge their situation without enabling themselves to take the time to see the real importance and beauty in the people and circumstances around them.
In chapter 19 of Matthew, Jesus scolded his disciples when they rebuked the children, acting as though they were undeserving of Jesus’ time and attention. Jesus then tells his disciples that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the children,
and they have no right to hinder the children’s ability to come to him. Similarly, the father in Crane’s poem, informs the tutor, when he comes to him complaining that the children gathered all of the flowers for themselves, that there is no reason why the “stronger, bolder, and shrewder” children should not have the flowers (l.20). In this way, both works illustrate the idea that children are beautiful and should never be undermined or looked down on because of their age.
In the poem, Crane draws up a division between the children and the tutor through descriptive phrases and imagery that allow readers to visualize the poem’s purpose more accurately. The children are described by the father as beautiful. They can be seen as happy and blessed in lines like, “ran there joyously,” (l.2) “having opportunity and skill,” (1.7) and “beautiful strong” (l.23). Compared to the children, the tutor is uptight and unable to simply enjoy life, like the children are able to do. The tutor is seen as a worried and quick tempered. The tutor from Crane’s poem and the disciples from the book of Matthew share similar characteristics in that both are quick to judge their situation without enabling themselves to take the time to see the real importance and beauty in the people and circumstances around them.