TRAVELLING THROUGH THE DARK

William Stafford

American poet William Stafford in his poem Travelling through the Dark presents the conflicts between physical action, emotion and responsibility to take appropriate course of action even in critical situation. The poet also satires the self proclaimed nature lovers who are responsible for the difficult state of wild animals and environmental degradation. The poem presents a great tension between the two realities, two system of life. On one hand are efficiency and responsibility, unglamorous virtues that we learn to admire when we face danger or loss. On the other hand, there are emotions warmer than efficiency and much deeper than good judgement. The poet also satires the self proclaimed nature lovers who are responsible for the difficult state of wild animals and environmental degradation.

On a dark night, the narrator was driving his car on Wilson River road. At the edge of the river he found a dead deer. He stopped there to clear the road by pushing the deer off the road into the river as the road wasn't wide enough. It was difficult to drive past the deer because the car might collide (Crash together with violent impact) with the possible danger of falling off the road and get killed, the poet observe that the deer has been killed recently which was already stiff and almost cold. His common sense told him to roll that deer into the gorge because the road was narrow and a slight carelessness might call for more accidents. He stopped his car and went near to it. It was a doe and had been dead. But when he dragged it he found that it was pregnant. When he observed its large belly closely, he sensed that it was pregnant and the fawn inside it must be alive and waiting to be born. But he also knew that it could not be born because its mother had already been dead. The tragic fate of the fawn made him emotional. It was difficult for him to throw the body into the gorge because it would kill the baby instantly. The poet was greatly confused in deciding correct of action in that difficult situation.

His dilemma and inactness blocked the street. He listened the people getting restless as everybody was in hurry to go. They immediately wanted the road to be opened. The narrator thought very deeply and concluded that it wasn't practical to leave the dead body of the doe on the street. It could make more accidents. Therefore, he dragged it into the gorge and chose to perform his duty. The lights of the car were on and the engine was making a low continuous sound. The animal with live inside it was lying dead on the road whereas, the lightless car seemed to be alive. Standing by the light of the car, the poet tells as if the tragic scene was being watched silently by wild animals too. He found himself in confusing state to choose appropriate step at this situation. However, accepting the ground reality and thinking seriously for other natural lovers, the poet changed his idea suddenly and pushed the deer into the river making the road free for others. Choosing the easy curse of action, the poet placed himself in the row of self responsible for ecological imbalance.

Using irony, the poet expressed that people are totally indifferent (careless) about the plight (sorrow) of wild animals because of their unwise activities. Although they are selfish and cruel towards the animals, they pretended to be nature lovers. The poet criticize this human behaviour and satires their pretention as nature lovers who are in reality the source of problems and plight of the natural world.