17 pages • 34-minute read
You Can Have It
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Background
Literary Context
While some critics have found Levine too commonplace, others like Terrance Rafferty have hailed him as akin to Whitman, a poet of the American working-class. Critics also laud him as a master of narrative poetry that captures those working-class struggles with sympathy and unflinching authenticity. He knew from where he came. Levine grew up in Detroit and was employed in auto parts factories when he was as young as 14 to the age of 29. He faced economic hardship and antisemitic hatred due to his Jewish heritage, which he explored in his poetry throughout his life.
Levine studied with Robert Lowell and John Berryman, whom he described, in an interview with Terry Gross, as “a great teacher. I never needed another teacher after that” (See: Further Reading & Resources). After dabbling with formalism in his first two poetry collections, Levine developed a straightforward free-verse style that earned him praise for his blunt honesty and accurate portrayals. As he progressed as a poet, Levine developed a dedication to list-making, dramatic monologue, and extensive imagery. During his lifetime, he received the highest honors and was respected by critics and popular with audiences. He taught several contemporary poets—like Larry Levis, David St. John, Dorianne Laux, and Ada Limon—and had widespread pedagogical and poetic influence.
Biographical Context
Levine had an identical twin named Edward. Just like the brothers in “You Can Have It,” they were 20 in 1948 and lived in Detroit at the time, and both worked in factories; all this suggests “You Can Have It” is autobiographical. In 1991, Levine gave an interview to National Public Radio and spoke to Terry Gross extensively about his twin and the importance of their relationship (See: Further Reading & Resources). Levine noted, “[I]t was very curious to grow up as an identical twin” and that he felt sometimes “our inmost thoughts were communicated to each other without our speaking.” Yet, this closeness also made him unsure “that I was [a] whole person […] I was me and him both.” These ideas play out in “You Can Have It” when the speaker suggests the siblings are “together […] only one man / sharing a heart” (Lines 13-14).
The interview also addresses the pain Levine felt when he and Edward grew more distant even in early childhood, which he called a “wrenching away.” Levine realized he and his brother weren’t the same person; despite being twins, there were small but meaningful differences in temperament and perspective. This, too, is shown in the poem, as the speaker seems to be in a less defeated position. Levine didn’t show Edward his poems until he was a teenager, but when he did, his twin was enthusiastic. Levine felt this was the “high point of [his] writing career”; his audience was limited to one person—his twin—and that person adored the work. Levine doubted anyone, more than Edward, admired the poetry. Levine’s strong belief in the connection of brothers, and the larger theme of brotherhood, are the subject of several of his poems.
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