Divinity, Sexuality and the Self in Whitman’s Song of Myself

Divinity, Sexuality and the Self in Whitman’s Song of Myself

Through his poetry, Whitman's "Song of Myself" makes the soul sensual and

makes divine the flesh. In Whitman's time, the dichotomy between the soul

and the body had been clearly defined by centuries of Western philosophy and

theology. Today, the goodness of the soul and the badness of the flesh

still remain a significant notion in contemporary thought. Even Whitman's

literary predecessor, Emerson, chose to distinctly differentiate the soul

from all nature. Whitman, however, chooses to reevaluate that relationship.

His exploration of human sensuality, particularly human sexuality, is the

tool with which he integrates the spirit with the flesh.

Key to this integration is Whitman's notion of the ability of the sexual

self to define itself. This self-definition is derived from the strongly

independent autonomy with which his sexuality speaks in the poem. Much of

the "Song of Myself" consists of a cacophony of Whitman's different selves

vying for attention. It follows that Whitman's sexual self would likewise

find itself a voice. A number of passages strongly resonate with Whitman's

sexuality in their strongly pleasurable sensualities. The thoroughly

intimate encounter with another individual in section five particularly

expresses Whitman as a being of desire and libido.

Whitman begins his synthesis of the soul and body through sexuality by

establishing a relative equality between the two. He pronounces in previous

stanzas, "You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself," and,

"Not an inch nor a particle of a...

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By projecting his sexual self against such broad parameters, Whitman

generates a decidedly transcendental experience. With such vivid imagery in

his celebration of the sensual, he elevates the limited faculties of man to

being capable of limitless understanding. The role of the sexual in his

work is integral to this sense of active, individual discovery. Whitman's

notion of sexuality acknowledges it as one of the highest forms of sensual

pleasure, and one of great personal and communicative importance.