Field of Skulls: A Closer Look
Field of Skulls, by Mary Karr, is quite relatable, despite its dark imagery. Three main themes it has are monstrosity, death, and paranoia. Paranoia itself is the monster in Field of Skulls, taking the imagined form of skulls in the character’s mind. This is also where death comes in. The poem explores fear of death and of the dead. It paints a picture of what the mind’s eye might see when feeling scared of the dead; a field of skulls perhaps. Karr effectively seeks to separate that sometimes wavy line between life/death as well as reality/imagination. She points out that humans have the ability to control one’s thoughts, even during those especially dark nights. Paranoia is but a feeling, and it is weaker than our able bodies. Karr uses dark imagery which helps to create a somewhat evil/wicked mood.
The way the poem is written, the reader becomes the character. “For you: a field of skulls, angled jaws/ and eye-sockets, a zillion scooped out crania” (Karr, lines 10-11). Writing like this speaks to the reader directly and allows them to better relate. Paired with the fact that having full control of our thoughts is a common human desire, the poem becomes especially relatable. Even if we are not thinking up jaws and eye-sockets, everyone has experienced trying to block out a thought. In these lines, the speaker exhibits such a time: “You caress the thought,/ for it proves there’s no better spot for you/ than here, your square-yard of chintz sofa, hearing/ the bad news piped steady from your head” (Karr, lines 20-23).
Paranoia is a powerful emotion. It comes to bother us especially on those dark nights, when we “Stare hard enough at the fabric of night … sleepless, drinking gin after the I Love/ Lucy reruns have gone off- stare” (Karr, lines 1, 5-6). This beginning to the poem presents the setting, one in which a common person could find themselves paranoid. What was that noise out there, the “rustling in the azaleas” (Karr, line 20)? Paranoia is a monster because it is an imaginary “creature” and it is frightening. In Field of Skulls, the image of skulls is a vehicle for paranoia to attack. Karr gives life to skulls making them The Paranoia Monster, as it were. She then proceeds to demonstrate that the idea that paranoia is tangible and out to get us holds little water. “If the skulls are there-/ let’s say they do press toward you/ against night’s scrim- could they not stare/ with slack jawed envy at the fine flesh/ that covers your skull, the numbered hair,/ at the force your hands hold?” (Karr, lines 28-33). Logic is used here to say that even if your fears are real, if these skulls were to “press toward you”, what could they do, really? Your human flesh holds so much more power than their unadorned bones. All these skulls can do is stare envious of your power.
Skulls play double-duty in this poem, also representing death. Death is a universal concept which many people struggle to wrap their minds around. Many people have a fear of dying, and of the dead. Dead people are scary to American society. We fear the forms in which they may come back to haunt us, like ghosts and zombies. Hollywood has only fueled this fire. An average American’s typical bad dream might consist of graveyards and skeletons. We fear these images. Skulls hold the shape of what they once were: someone’s living, breathing face. It scares us that essentially, a layer of skin is all that separates our own faces from becoming what we fear. But not only do we fear the Halloween-esque aspect of death, we are also terrified of those we love dying. When we have experienced loss, grief eats at us for a long time. Death is something that we must all come to accept, as Karr explores. “You stare and furious stare,/ confident there are no gods out there. In this way/ you’re blind to your own eye’s intricate machine/ and to the light it sees by, to the luck of birth and all/ your remembered loves” (Karr, lines 24-28). These lines mean that we must honor our deceased loved ones by fully utilizing our living minds, because they no longer are able. We must live on for them, and forget our attachment and fear of the empty space they used to hold. This is actually a really deep concept, housed nicely in just a few lines.
Imagery is rich in Field of Skulls, as each line really guides the reader on a path of clear images. The setting of the poem is in an archetypal person’s home. “Drinking gin after the I Love/ Lucy reruns have gone off/ … your square-yard of chintz sofa” (Karr, lines 5-6, 22). Karr also uses the words “night”, “dark”, and “black” setting the mood. “Stare hard enough at the fabric of night,/ and if you’re predisposed to dark- let’s say/ the window you’ve picked is a black/ postage stamp” (Karr, lines 1-4). These words help us to see a dim scene, clearly Karr’s intention. These are also words that tie in with death. Though the poem as a whole conveys messages of overcoming paranoia and fear of death with an overall calm after-effect, whilst one is reading it, the imagery is pretty dark. “Plus minor baby-eaters/ unidentified, probably in your very midst.”
The themes of monstrosity, death, and paranoia are well-explored in Field of Skulls. Karr takes each theme full circle, describing how they affect people and how people can overcome these obstacles in life. Field of Skulls is an appropriate title, representing those many people who have died but are still present in our minds. This relatable poem can help its reader to realize that we have control of our own thoughts, and even though there are many things that might frighten us, the “force your hands hold” (Karr, line 33) is stronger than fear’s grasp.
Works Cited
Karr, Mary. “Field of Skulls.” Poetryfoundation.org. Poetry Foundation, 2011. Web. 18
September 2011.
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