The Art of Losing: A Close Reading of “Little Boy Blue”

October 19^th, 2015

For many authors, writing is not an exercise done simply for the sake of itself – it is therapeutic. The act of writing can serve a very real emotional purpose. Through the poem “Little Boy Blue,” the narrator is able to effectively convey his depression. Through intertextual allusion, extended metaphor, and careful symbolism, the narrator is able to effectively communicate his discontent to the reader.

The skill of the author is seen in his ability to introduce this sadness before the work even properly begins. Both the poem’s title and the nursery rhyme it alludes to are significant in that they establish its central tone. The title, if examined purely at face value, carries the connotation of sadness. In literary symbolism, the colour blue is typically used to denote feelings of melancholy. The reader can therefore assume that this poem will be exploring the depressive thoughts and emotions of a single character: this is supported by the fact that “boy” is singular and not plural. Furthermore, “Little Boy Blue” is an allusion to a much more famous nursery rhyme of the same name. It features a boy either unable or unwilling to perform his duties, “Under the haystack / fast asleep.” If woken, he will “surely cry.” These images evoke a feeling of futility and sadness, and for this reason were purposefully alluded to by the author. As understanding this rhyme and its deeper meaning facilitates an understanding of the poem, an intertextuality clearly exists between them. The rhyme establishes that the poem’s narrator feels like a lost, hopeless child, struggling just to live.

This central theme of the narrator’s discontent is shown to the reader by way of an extended metaphor. The image of a child entering a cornfield and becoming disillusioned and lost represents the narrator’s growing dissatisfaction with himself: the cornfield is a labyrinth of his depression. Within the first stanza, it becomes clear that the lost child, the subject of the poem, is not simply a character, but a symbolic representation of the narrator himself. This is seen when the he invokes the word “poet”, writing that “A child or poet could unlose / himself by following the rows.” In literature, the mention of a poet or writer is typically interpreted by the audience to be the author inserting himself into his own work. In this way, the author of “Little Boy Blue” subtly encourages the reading of his work through an autobiographical lens. By doing so, he intends the reader to intuit that his metaphor of the cornfield is a way to talk about his problems from a distance – to keep him from getting hurt in revealing too much of himself. It builds a necessary wall between himself and the reader, which, throughout the poem, gradually buckles beneath the weight of his depression. This is seen when the “stalks close / ranks,” and the place where he entered the maze “withdraws beyond refinding,” until “countless days have passed uncounted.” As an entrance cannot withdraw, this is to say that the narrator is so involved in his depression that he cannot imagine a life without it – he sees the happiness of his old life withdraw beyond his reach until the cornfield is all he can remember. Soon, he feels so lost and so hopelessness that the metaphor can no longer be sustained. It collapses, allowing him to become vulnerable and speak in the first person, saying, “I am lazy with the heat.” He is able to honestly admit that he is emotionally drained and devoid of all motivation. As one last gesture, he claims that “the art of losing / isn’t hard to master: it betrays / one into thinking it is all there is.” This a clear reference to the cycle of low self-esteem felt not only by the narrator, but by all who experience depression. To master the “art of losing” is to convince oneself that success in life is impossible and failure is all there is. In using the cornfield metaphor, the narrator finds himself able to speak of his personal struggle and eventually convey it directly to the reader.

The reader is further able to understand the narrator’s struggle through the careful use of symbolism. The central theme of his depression is supported with a number of symbols intrinsically tied to the cornfield. When he first enters, he remarks that he has relinquished a “crow’s-eye view.” The narrator specifically chose the crow rather than simply a bird as it is one of the most intelligent animals, and in Native American culture they are known for their prophetic insight and knowledge. As the cornfield represents his declining mental health, the narrator means to say that he has grown so lost that he has relinquished the ability to view his life from a higher, objective perspective. Additionally, the bees which “malinger” in the field effectively symbolize his declining motivation. To malinger is to feign illness in order to escape duty. This is not something usually attributed to bees: they are the image of work and productivity. Bees would not try to escape their responsibility to the hive - that the narrator wishes to see them malinger says much more about him than it does about them. He wishes to escape his duty to life as he cannot be motivated to simply live. This is further conveyed in much the same way that the title indicated the poem’s sombre tone. We are able to derive meaning from the “yellow flowers / only the detasseler sees,” as in literature yellow is used to symbolize happiness: it is the colour of sunshine, energy, and friendship. It is interesting that these warm, human qualities of life are seen only by a machine. To the narrator they have been foreign and unnatural for so long that they are lost on him - felt only by an object which does not feel. Therefore, as repeatedly established throughout the course of the poem, the narrator finds himself devoid of happiness. Its numerous symbols convey that he has neither the energy nor motivation to even live.

Ultimately, the poem “Little Boy Blue” is used by the narrator to help convey his personal struggle to the reader. Through allusion to outside works, subtle use of metaphor, and complex symbolism, the reader is finally able to understand his pain. In doing so, there is a communion forged between author and audience. This is why the poem exists. Devoid of all other emotion, the one last thing the narrator can hope for is empathy, as there is great power in simply being understood.