18 pages • 36-minute read
Joy HarjoA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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The unnamed narrator of the poem begins a philosophical and physical journey, walking in the direction of the sun. Caught in a tension between emotional instincts and rational thoughts, they try to determine how to engage with those who oppose them. The speaker searches for a way to reconcile feelings of fury with the desire to offer blessings.
Personified as a separate, active entity within the speaker, the heart acts as a wise mediator. It sees and knows everything, possessing the ability to hold both anger and blessing simultaneously. The poem positions the heart as the most responsible and reliable aspect of the speaker's life, capable of opening the door to the intellect.
An abstract, unnamed antagonistic force or individual in the speaker's life. The enemy represents the target of the speaker's fury but also holds the potential for engagement. If an opponent is permitted to cross the threshold of the mind, they carry the inherent risk of transforming into a friend.
Opponent of The Speaker
Personified as the intellectual and logical center of the speaker, the mind is described as furious and highly reactive. It operates like a locked room or fortress whose door must be carefully guarded. According to the poem's logic, this door should open exclusively from the inside out, guarded only by the heart.
Intellectual Center of The Speaker
Subordinate to The Heart
A cosmic entity that functions as a source of light, introspection, and guidance. It acts as an unmoving, constant presence that serves as a literal and figurative destination as the speaker wrestles with internal conflict.
Symbolic Destination for The Speaker
Larger Cousin of The Heart