Acquainted with the Night and the oil painting Nighthawks - Assignment Example

Shadow and Solitude Human experience is permeated by several emotions that influence a person’s action. Among human emotions usually recounted in arts and literature are feelings of shadow and solitude. Shadow pertains to darkness, pain, suffering and death while solitude means loneliness, aloneness, solitariness and seclusion. These ideas are reflected in the poem of Robert Frost titled, “Acquainted with the Night” and the oil painting of Edward Hopper titled, “Nighthawks.” The two works contain similar themes and images reflective of post-impressionist art. The theme of shadow and solitude is strongly reflected in “Acquainted with the Night.” In this poem, the speaker suffers from a dilemma thus claims to be “acquainted with the night (1).” Frost uses symbols to represent the experience of shadow and solitude. He uses the night to represent loneliness and rain for suffering as in the line, “I have walked out in rain and back in rain” (2). By this, the persona recounts to have repeatedly experienced suffering. The images in the poem revolve around the theme. The night, rain, his aloofness, and solitary walking towards the “furthest city lane” all lead readers to imagine the loneliness and isolation of the man. There is no mention of company, relationships, etc. Only a watchman, whom the persona ignores, is mentioned in the poem. His isolation is strongly expressed by the pronoun “I” at the start of each line in the first stanza. Noticeably, seven out of fourteen lines of the poem start with “I.” This recurrence of the reference to the persona strongly suggests his isolation. In “Nighthawks,” the theme of shadow and solitude is also reflected as the scene is set at night. Shadow is literally cast on the background and the idea of suffering may be felt with the forlorn gesture of one customer in the diner. The man who sits alone on the left seems to represent the persona in Frost’s poem. He displays the same solitariness expressed by the persona. He wears a blue coat and hat, drinks alone, and refuses to talk to the other figures. Like the persona in the poem, he submits to shadow. In contrast, the other figures seem to be enjoying each other’s company. Therefore, unlike the poem that centers on the theme of shadow and solitude, the painting also hints on the brighter side of life. The light in the diner agrees to the feelings of the three figures yet contrasts with the emotion of the solitary man. The persona in the poem submits to shadow and solitude. Thus, he says, “I have outwalked the furthest city light/I have looked down the saddest city lane” (3-4). Walking past city light could mean submitting to darkness or going somewhere beyond one can go. With this and the term, “saddest city lane,” the persona is trying to identify a place where there is too much sorrow and pain. This place is similar to a state of bewilderedness, a dilemma, which leads to the scenario in the third stanza. The third stanza of the poem speaks about death. In this stanza, the first line is repeated to signal a different meaning of “night.” The speaker continues to narrate his acquaintance with the night when he “stood still and stopped the sound of feet” (7). Stopping could mean stopping life or movement. Stopping the sound of feet which could be the only sound on a dark night is shutting up everything and submitting to total silence or death. As the speaker submits to death, he heard an “interrupted cry” and the “luminary clock” (12) that “proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right” (13). If this signal does not bid him goodbye, then it is not yet his time to die, although he submits to it in the previous stanzas. The use of the “luminary clock” at an unearthly height” suggests a metaphysical existence, thus further implies acquaintance with the unknown or death. In the painting, the man also implies submission to shadow as he sits and drinks alone. Just like the persona, he has a chance to mingle with others but refuses to do so with his gesture. Nevertheless, the images in the painting show that there is hope with the other figures in the background. There is less gloom with the light casted towards the street from the diner. Therefore, although the man may be lonesome, he does not seem to be in a dilemma that could lead to death. The representation of the themes in the two works is the same; both take on an impressionist perspective. Although produced in the early 20th Century, the two works still mirror the impressionist style of the preceding period. With focus on theme and emotion, Frost’s poem provides a limited view of a man’s near-death experience. Had this poem been written at an earlier time, the poem would have explored the reason for the man’s feelings and his background. Similarly, Hopper’s painting displays only a frontal view of the scene, hence concealing other sides of it as bird’s eye view would have it. The poem mentions the “luminary clock” and an “unearthly height” which relate to an element and space that are both beyond reality. In line with this, the painting shows the figures inside glass walls, making the humans look miniature mannequins. Nevertheless, there is some hint on realism with the persona’s acceptance of his fate and the lighting inside the diner. Although both produced in the early 20th Century and both reflect similar themes and style, the works have slight differences. While Frost takes on a pessimist perspective, with the submission to shadow of the persona, Hopper’s characters suggest optimism as the two human figures contrast with the lonesome man. As such, it can be assumed that early 20th Century art varies in style and content. Throughout time, arts and literature have existed to reflect human thought and experience. They document ideas and emotions shared among people. Collectively, artifacts represent epochs to serve as reference for later generations to perceive people at a given time. Themes that are common in works of the same period speak of the feelings and ideas predominant at the time they were produced. They also represent the style predominant at the time. In the works of Frost and Hopper, shadow and solitude are predominant themes reflective of the early 20th Century. The gloom that each work projects mirrors the confusion, suffering and shadow felt in the earlier times. Likewise, the post-impressionist style of the artists demonstrates the tendency to focus on what is most important or emphasize what is least discerned. The two works are both great in their own right, as the artists successfully evoke the right feelings that they want to convey to their audience. Works Cited Frost, Robert. “Acquainted with the Night.” 1923. In New Hampshire. 1 December 2014. . Hopper, Edward. “Nighthawks.” 1942. Oil on canvass. Read More