An Analysis Of James Wright's Lying In A Hammock

Time is limited and whether we realize it or not, that day will arrive when we run out. In James Wright's "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota," the narrator soon discovers that time is up and runs out of it. As he scans his surroundings, he describes peaceful images, conveying no troubles in his life. Only until the end, a reader would conclude that he appears to not enjoy the way he is living. Readers of the poem might disagree about the true meaning of the impetuous conclusion, but the best interpretation of this is that he is regretful of the lack of accomplishments in his life and contains a scarce amount of time left to pursue anything at all.

The sense of time is apparent to allow for an understanding of the time that passes in his life. In the poem, he points out the "sunlight between two pines," leading to the idea that it is early in the day while the sun is still shining until he decides to lean back and watch “as

the evening darkens.” The poem also includes how “the cowbells follow one another/ into the distances of the afternoon,” allowing for an interpretation of losing time; therefore, the cowbells are used to symbolize minutes and imply that one minute is followed by the next, slowly fading one-by-one. Time is and forever will be an element that is constantly craved to obtain extra although it eventually ceases.

The repetition of the thought “home" occurs throughout the poem in different ways.

Home, the one place where one can always head back to, is nonexistent in the poem, and it is an essential part of living. One can analyze the meaning when he or she understands what he is conveying while he watches the chicken hawk “looking for home.” Wright also takes the time to mention the "empty house," leading to the question why is the house empty? It is unusual for houses to not contain anything internally such as furniture; the adjective "empty" can be seen as describing his life. He relates himself to the chicken hawk, but not only does he not possess a home, he is alone. At times in the poem, moments are present where he describes several of the images in the singular tense while the rest is plural. “The bronze butterfly” and “blowing like a leaf” both hint of his loneliness compared to the other moments such as “the cowbells” and the “two pines.” Being alone is a fear humans have, and in this case, he is by

himself.

The direct and blunt conclusion, “I have wasted my life,” is unexpected and catches readers off guard. The narrator deceives his readers by the way he describes the peaceful images such as “the bronze butterfly/asleep on the trunk.” How does one progress from beautiful sceneries to regretful thoughts? Loneliness and the loss of time contributes to his last claim. Wright never makes any decisions that lead him to the life he craves for and now no longer posses any time. Time is precious and he realizes that at the last moment.

Altogether, the narrator senses regret because of his lack of motivation toward obtaining the life he truly wants. “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” allows readers to discover that even though life seems peaceful and satisfying on the outside, it can be deceiving to what is actually wanted. The images he describes portray a country life, and it could be that he actually hoped for a city life, but never had the opportunity to; if Wright works quickly with the little time that is left, maybe he will be able to achieve his goal. Even though the final line will stand out to a superficial reader, it will not be known what is truly meant unless one studies the details the narrator utilizes.