The Red Wheelbarrow

 

 

XXII (The Red Wheelbarrow)

by William Carlos Williams

from Spring and All (1923)

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

The poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" was written by William Carlos Williams, who was part of the Modernist movement in poetry. Modernism originated in the 20th century and modernist poems tended to always question what came before them. They were willing to experiment with new forms and were much more daring than the Symoblists. In this sense, Modernists were more willing to push the boundaries of traditional boundaries in format and in theme.

Even from first glance, one can stop Williams' nontraditional format and attribute it to the Modernist movement. Williams constructed his poem in four stanzas, the first line of each containing three words each, and the second line of each stanza containing only one word. This form of pictorial representation of the poem allows the reader to focus on the words and place emphasis between each line break. By using this type of enjambment, Williams is not only exemplifying the Modernist style, he is also purposefully slowing the reader down whilst they read.

The poem itself is only one long sentence, broken up at varying intervals. Often it is interpreted that the poems form is closely linked to its meaning. As to the inspiration behind the poem, Williams has been quoted saying, "["The Red Wheelbarrow"] sprang from affection for an old Negro named Marshall. He had been a fisherman, caught porgies off Gloucester. He used to tell me how he had to work in the cold in freezing weather, standing ankle deep in cracked ice packing down the fish. He said he didn’t feel cold. He never felt cold in his life until just recently. I liked that man, and his son Milton almost as much. In his back yard I saw the red wheelbarrow surrounded by the white chickens. I suppose my affection for the old man somehow got into the writing." This serves to imply that the form of the poem is also its meaning. American political writer and newspaper reporter has been quoted saying, "Williams is saying that perception is necessary to life and that the poem itself can lead to a fuller understanding of one's experience." Thus, by capturing his (Williams') experience with Marshall in poetic form, he could express his affection for Marshall whilst also painting a picture for his audience.

It is true that "so much depends / upon" each line of the poem because at the end of the poem, it is as if Williams has vividly painted a picture the wheelbarrow for the reader and it is that image that actually becomes the poem. One of the outcomes of Modernist poetry was to reduce the human experience to fragments and Williams was able to do just that with his poem. And yet another characteristic of the movement was its tendency to efface individuality and focus on machines or other inanimate objects rather than humans or nature. Thus, the focus of Williams' poem is not Marshall, but instead the red wheelbarrow he saw in his back yard. It is because of these characteristics that William Carlos Williams can be classified as a Modernist poet.