Common Theme Of Death In Wallace Stevens's 'The Emperor Of Icecream'

Jessie Berman

April 31, 14

Essay 2

Although from the surface these four poems seem very unlike, when digging a little bit deeper it is evident that they all share a common theme of death.

The Emperor of Icecream written by Wallace Stevens has a very unclear theme of death. The poem as a whole consists of two stanzas with eight lines each. There is no regular rhyme scheme besides the couplet at the end of each stanza “The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.” Because the couplet is the same in both instances, it emphasizes the question that the poem holds, who is the “emperor of ice-cream” and what does it mean? Likewise, the fact that there is no regular pattern emphasizes Stevens’ intent of provoking thought. From the surface we see words such as “flowers” and “icecream” which give off pleasant emotions, definitely not death. His choice of diction paints an image of life in our minds such as when he says “In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.” According to the Oxford Dictionary, concupiscent means something filled with sexual desire; lustful. This gives us a feeling of enjoyment and liveliness although shortly after these emotions are contrasted. In the second stanza the mood begins to get darker such as when Stevens writes, “If her horny feet protrude, the come – To show how cold she is, and dumb.” Suddenly this feeling of sexual lust turns into a darker more depressing imagery. His diction also changes from the first stanza where Stevens begins to use words like “cold” and “dumb”. This shift of diction parallels the concept from life to death. By creating this contrast from the first stanza to the next, I believe Stevens is suggesting that in this case, death represents an ultimate reality and a reality that should be embr...

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...e final line in this section (6) Whitman says, “And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.” This line suggests a similar concept that both Stevens’ and Dickinson’s poems imply, that we never really know what death is and yet we still fear it. However, Whitman goes further to say that these fears are unnecessary because there is no end in life, it is just a rebirth into another life and for all we know, an even better one, a concept that Sylvia Plath strives for in her poem as well. “Song of Myself” is written in free verse, which gives no restraints or limits on his writing, similar to his concept of life and death and how there should be no limitations because life will always continue. There are no rhymes, no common line pattern, and no noticeable rhythm, which create a calming tone, which parallels Whitman’s placid view of death.