‘In Spite of Everything’ (which the poet himself presents in lowercase as ‘in spite of everything’) is a poignant lyric poem by the renowned American modernist poet E. E. Cummings (1894-1962). Cummings is celebrated for his innovative style, characterized by a playful disregard for conventional capitalization and punctuation. This particular poem captures a fleeting moment of intimacy, wherein the speaker tenderly kisses the pillow that held the shared dreams of him and his lover. Through its unique structure and form, the poem reveals the depth of human emotion that Cummings so masterfully conveys.
Summary
This succinct poem is divided into two stanzas. The first stanza presents the speaker’s contemplation of the inevitability of Doom, which signifies fate or death, that will ultimately obliterate all thoughts and memories upon our demise. This grim reality unfolds amidst a world brimming with life, as the personification of Doom—depicted with long, white hands—reminds us that death is an inescapable part of existence.
Transitioning into the second stanza, the speaker responds to this somber truth. Acknowledging the transience of life and the eventual erasure that death brings, the speaker, before leaving the confines of his room, turns back to the bed. He leans down to press a kiss on the pillow, a tender tribute to where he and his beloved (‘dear’) had recently shared a peaceful slumber together.
Analysis
Cummings is well-known for crafting love poems, and many of his most celebrated works delve into themes of love, desire, and the intimate moments shared with a partner. While the essence of his poetry can sometimes drift toward sentimentality, his unique expression of these emotions often remains striking and profound, thanks to his experimental form.
‘In Spite of Everything’ exemplifies how form significantly influences the meaning and impact of Cummings’ poetry. The syntax of the poem is particularly noteworthy; it unfolds as a single, extended sentence, which, notably, does not adhere to standard capitalization conventions (beginning with ‘in’ rather than ‘In’). This stylistic choice enables the first stanza to seamlessly flow into the second, creating a sense of continuity. The dash following ‘our minds’ at the end of the first stanza acts as a delayed pause, which is further emphasized by the blank line that introduces the second stanza.
The central action of the poem—the speaker kissing the pillow—emerges after two subordinate clauses: ‘in spite of…’ and ‘since…’. This structure provides a twist before arriving at the main action: despite the omnipresence of life, ‘Doom’ will inevitably claim it all. Yet, in recognition of this truth, the speaker declares, ‘i turn’: a sudden, brisk action that redirects the focus toward love and life, contrasting sharply with the themes of death and doom.
This briskness is amplified by the punctuation: the phrase reads not as ‘I turn, and’ but rather ‘i turn,and’. The absence of a pause between the comma and conjunction suggests an instinctive response, an impulsive act of devotion that confronts the inevitability of death with an affirmative gesture of love.
Is ‘In Spite of Everything’ Free Verse?
Determining whether ‘In Spite of Everything’ qualifies as free verse presents a more nuanced challenge than it might initially seem. Free verse typically lacks a consistent meter and rhyme scheme, often featuring irregular line lengths. While Cummings’ poem does not conform to a traditional rhyme scheme, each line finds a corresponding ‘match’ with another line. This results in the presence of pararhyme throughout the poem, as seen with pairs such as ‘hands’ and ‘minds’, ‘crease’ and ‘kiss’, ‘dear’ and ‘were’, as well as ‘everything’ and ‘stooping’. There are also numerous -ing words scattered throughout the poem, both in nouns (‘everything’, ‘morning’) and verbs (‘neatening’, ‘leaving’, ‘stooping’).
Only one full rhyme exists in the poem—‘Doom’ and ‘room’—which cleverly intertwines the two central themes: the shadow of death (symbolized by the ‘white longest hands’) is countered by the love and intimacy that thrive within the speaker’s room. The use of the pronoun ‘my’ in ‘my room’—as opposed to ‘our room’—suggests that the relationship may not be one of permanence, implying that the lover could be a mistress or an occasional companion rather than a committed partner.
Additionally, the poem’s meter is not as ‘free’ as it may initially appear. A general iambic pattern pervades the poem, although Cummings does not strictly adhere to this rhythm. For instance, the line ‘in SPITE of EV-ery-THING’ follows a regular iambic trimeter, as does the second line.
In conclusion, while we may categorize the poem as ‘free verse’, this classification comes with several caveats. Although there is no fixed rhyme scheme, there is a clear presence of pararhyme (along with one full end rhyme) throughout the lines; likewise, the poem exhibits traces of an iambic trimeter pattern, despite numerous variations and departures.