I don't like your Whitty humor, Whitman

Step 1)

I decided to analyze the document from the last page up to see if I could gain a different perspective. There is an image of a skull with a hat, floating above the ocean as the sun sets, and something has pierced through its heart-shaped, limp body. The corresponding description that caught my attention was, “this may be the most mysterious page in the notebook”. It describes how this might be an allegory of America, noting that it is positioned in “a strange halfway state, suspended between day and might, life and death?” (18). My interpretation is that Whitman saved his most cryptic document for last, meaning everything that came before just builds up the suspense. I think Walt Whitman, based on his drawing, ponders the state of his country in relation to himself. It might be a skeleton of himself and how he feels separate and hurt in this big world. This could be due to him floating above land and his deathly painful appearance with the sword through his chest. I am more of a visual learner so I’m glad that I started out by analyzing a picture.

The first phrase I see as I skim above is “The last war”. This could be in reference to how everyone hopes that the Civil War is the final one (unfortunately they were wrong). This means that Whitman was an optimistic and a peaceful man who dreamed of a safer future for all. I find more drawings of a harp, a sideways view of a man in a top hat, a similar but happier man’s head, then a man without a hat with a disproportionate body, and what is possibly a portrait of Whitman himself. These sketches appear to be different portrayals because they originate from different art styles. I think this is significant because not everyone will see a person the same way you do.

The rest of the document consists of Whitman’s inner thoughts written in cursive. I read a few of his scribbles and notes, and noticed a few phrases that may offer some insight into what he was thinking. These include “conscious in these, ought in these- philosophy” and “questions, reasons.., your the Christ”. These are small choppy phrases that resemble the confused thoughts that he would continue to ponder later. Whitman seems to be searching for a justification for religion and the true meaning of existence by his use of the words “questions” and “reasons”. He even discusses philosophy and consciousness, which both encompass ideas ranging from atheism to traditional religion. Lastly, he mentions love and purity which connects to the theme of Leaves of Grass and this might be how Whitman seeks the meaning of life. He places beautiful ideas of romanticism within his poems to emphasize the need for love and happiness through experiences in life.

I end with the appearance of the cover of his book. The wear and tear indicate that he read it frequently over a long period of time. That is significant because it demonstrates how journaling was important to Whitman and acted as a way for him to collect his thoughts.

Step 2)

 After reading over the notes of Whitman's journal and with the approach of analyzing from the end to the beginning, I discovered new ideas and connections leaders of the Walt Whitman archive have made regarding the meaning behind his notes. Whitman's page about religion is actually described as a creation he made in response to the Civil War, a four-sided version of God including both Christ and Satan. Ed Folsom explains that Whitman would continue revising and developing this creation throughout the Civil War and in the years afterward. Whitman's revisions can be seen on this notebook page by his scratch marks through certain phrases, which imply that he had returned to this page to alter his ideas. The notes also explain that this possibly could have been a page saved for Whitman's imaginary conversation with Abe Lincoln, who is his hero according to notes from other pages. A page reserved for his conversation with Lincoln shows that Whitman admired Lincoln due to his revolutionary and liberal ideas and valued his thoughts about religion and philosophy. I imagine Whitman as a very reserved and quiet individual who became obsessed with Lincoln. One note even describes him as living in Washington and watching Lincoln walk along his path to the White House each day. Whitman may have created this imaginary conversation with Lincoln, in order to talk with someone he idolized about his ideas. This conversation probably encouraged Whitman to pursue his ideas and continue developing his poetry and other creations.