Robert Lowell

(1917-1977)
“Skunk Hour” (1959)
“For the Union Dead” (1960)

On the first:
The four of the characters in this poem seem to say something about isolation, community, and contentment.

The Heiress seems to enjoy isolation. Her son is doing well. Her lands and estate are taken care of by a good man.

The Cobbler seems to enjoy community. “there is no money in his work,/ he’d rather marry.” (23-24). He values a relationship more than a big estate.

The Speaker seems to side with the Cobbler, wanting love, but for some reason he is bitter against intimacy. He calls the local “lovers’ lane” a graveyard, yet he ‘sobs.’ I hear ‘sobs,’ and I think of desire and affection throught the tears. Later he says, “I myself am hell.” Is he hard to get along with? Has he had failed relationships in the past? Has he went through a major loss? He sees these opposing attitudes in himself, and says “My mind’s not right.” I say he might be able to find and grow and enjoy a relationship.

The Mother Skunk has a bit of this contentment in relationships and community. She leads her kittens around the town looking for their meals, and finds a good one at our speaker’s back door. She relishes what she has in life and “does not scare” when someone tries to take it away.