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Travelling Through the Dark by William Stafford
MAIN SUMMARY
Travelling Through the Dark by William Stafford
This popular poem, Travelling Through the Dark," has been written by American poet William Edgar Stafford. This poem is about nature vs. man. This poem won the National Book Award in 1963. This poem is about making decisions. This poem has presented the difficulty of a man’s choice. The poem shows the struggle between nature and man. The main theme of this poem is that man cannot do anything against nature because nature is so powerful and beyond humans' imagination.
Here in this poem, the action develops stanza by stanza. In the first stanza, the speaker finds a dead doe on the edge of Wilson River Road while driving at night. He wants to pull it to the side to prevent future accidents.
In the second stanza, he stops his car and moves back to see the dead doe. When he reaches closer, he finds the doe dead but pregnant. He touches Doe’s belly and knows that the unborn baby is still alive inside and waiting to come. This scene stuns the speaker. He becomes restless, thinking about the possible ways to save the fawn's life.
In the third stanza, he thinks about the poor destiny of the unborn little fawn inside the belly.
Finally, in the fourth and fifth stanzas, he describes the activities of the machine in nature. He realises the power of nature and the inability of human beings. He chooses the easiest course and pushes the doe into the river. He doesn’t want to violate the natural rules and laws. He wants to protect the natural environment.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Travelling Through the Dark by William Stafford
Central idea of the poem
Answer:
The central idea of this poem is that we must be rational. We must do what is important. We should not violate natural rules and laws for our own sake. Man cannot do anything against nature. Nature is so powerful. Life and death are two real aspects that are also related to nature. We must accept the reality.
How do the last two lines complete both the types of action, in the poem Travelling Through the Dark?
Answer:
The poet feels difficulties in choosing the right way. After finding the dead doe with an alive fawn inside her belly, the poet reaches a dilemmatic state. He feels completely confused about choosing the course of action. He even relates himself to the natural environment, the machine, and his natural surroundings. His emotional feelings for the little fawn inside his belly are appreciable, but his restlessness is of no use. He realises the value of nature in relation to life and death. He doesn’t have any right to go beyond nature and its rules. He feels it is hard for everyone. His tension arises at a high point, but finally, he chooses the easiest course. He pushes the doe over the edge of Wilson River’s road. Humans feel in such a manner, but nature has its own rules and laws. We never do anything against nature except wait and watch.
Do you agree with what the narrator did? Why?
Answer:
Yes, I agree with what the narrator did because his emotional feeling for the little fawn was right, but when he realised that he couldn’t do anything for the little fawn, he pushed the doe into the river. He realised the power of nature and also the inability of humans against nature. He didn’t want to go against nature’s will. He realised that man cannot do anything against nature’s will.
Show the action develops stanza by stanza in the poem.
Answer:
Here in this poem, the action develops stanza by stanza. While driving at night, the poet finds a dead doe on the edge of Wilson River Road. He wants to pull it to the side to prevent upcoming accidents.
In the second stanza, he stops his car and moves back to see the dead doe. When he reaches closer, he finds the doe dead but pregnant. He touches Doe’s belly and knows that the unborn baby is still alive inside and waiting to come. The speaker becomes restless to see the sight.
In the third stanza, he thinks about the poor destiny of the unborn little fawn, which is suffocating inside the belly.
Finally, in the fourth and fifth stanzas, he describes the activities of the machine in nature. He chooses the easiest course and pushes the doe into the river. He doesn’t want to violate natural rules and laws. He wants to protect the natural environment.
What did the poet realize/feel when he touched the deer?
Answer:
The poet realised or felt that the dead doe was pregnant. When he touched the belly of the dead doe, he found it warm by its side. The little fawn was alive inside the belly and waiting to come outside the world. The poet thought about the poor destiny of the unborn fawn, which could not get birth.
Why did the poet make a decision to push the dead deer into the river?
Answer:
The poet made the decision to push the dead deer into the river because he realised that he couldn’t do anything against nature. It was a great challenge for the poet to go against nature. His sentiments for little Fawn increased so much. He wanted to save Fawn, but natural rules and laws did not support him. He thought about Little Fawn’s fate and finally chose the easiest course and pushed the dead doe into the river.
Do you think the writer feels about the unborn baby?
Answer:
Yes, I think the writer feels about the unborn baby. The writer moves closer to the dead doe to push it by the side, but when he finds the dead doe’s warm belly, his feelings arise about saving the little fawn, which is alive inside the belly. He becomes so sad about the little fawn. He wants to save the fawn’s life. This tension creates a hamper in nature. The writer feels a lot about the unborn baby but also thinks about the poor destiny of the little fawn. The writer doesn’t have any other option except his feelings. He doesn’t want to go against nature and its power.
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