Still 'travelling through the dark'
Beryl Clarke, Contributor

You had a whole week to reflect on the poem 'Travelling Through the Dark' and I hope, too, you had some lively discussions on the main issue that is raised in it. As was pointed out in the last 'lesson', the persona is briefly confronted by a dilemma when he realises that there is a living fawn in the dead body of the deer that he is about to roll into the canyon.

Now, please bear in mind the fact that the animal has been killed on a dark, narrow road. (This may have caused its death.) These conditions are now worsened by the obstacle that the body presents as it takes up space. The motorist would normally not have hesitated to clear the road, had not hesitated on other occasions, but does so this time, and you know why. You may have considered the different decisions that the persona could have taken. After all, there is a living creature to think about; an animal, yes, but it is alive! Can you imagine the questions that may have flashed through his mind? Should I attempt to cut it from its mother's womb, here? But, wouldn't my life be in danger here? Can I get it to a vet in time? Will it survive if I remove it from its mother's womb? He would have realised that, while he briefly debated the issue with himself, there could be another accident in which human lives could be lost.

What reason could the poet have had to create a situation of this nature? What do you think his aim was? (Certainly not to give you trouble!) Perhaps, he wants to show us that, sometimes, one has to take unpleasant decisions. On the other hand, given the speed with which the decision is taken, it could be that he intends to show that man has a callous attitude to the lower animals. The setting suggests that the road runs through a wooded area and begs the question as to who has more right to be there.

Let us now turn our attention to other aspects of the work. In the first verse, we are given the setting and informed of the incident. The motorist tells us that he "found the deer dead", so we know that he did not kill it. We notice that there is no rhyming pattern but the natural punctuation of free verse. Do let us pause to ponder the word 'swerve' in the last line. The speaker/persona says that if other drivers have to swing over to avoid the dead deer, there could be accidents that lead to humans dying. But, could he also be saying that if he does not dispose of the animal, he too would be 'swerving' from an accepted practice. By the way, I want you to notice how compact the language of poetry is as is presented in the last five words of the first stanza ... "to serve might make more dead".

In stanza two, we realise that it is very cold. How do we know this? The answer lies in the fact that, though the doe had recently died, it was stiff and almost cold. The darkness of the area is also emphasised when the speaker informs us that he stumbles back off the car by the "glow of the tail-light." Obviously, there is no other source of illumination, so it is easy for accidents to occur here. When he gets to the animal, he does not pause before doing the usual thing - drag her off the road.

The next move that would then be made would be to push the carcass into the canyon, but something unexpected is encountered, as you are aware, and he hesitates. This, the third stanza, is the one that comes nearest to expressing a feeling of regret in ...

... her fawn lay there waiting,

alive, still, never to be born ...

... sharing with us the conclusion that it will die.

The fourth verse is peculiar. Why do I say this? Look at how the car is described! The car is given life and becomes a living being. It aims its parking lights, its engine purrs as if it is an animal and not a machine. We are reminded that something like it had snuffed out the life of the deer and a contrast is created between it and the dead animal. The deer is 'almost cold' but the vehicle's exhaust is warm. The fawn loses out!

Then, in the last two lines, the expected happens. The driver decides on what appears to him to be the lesser of two evils. The idea of 'swerving' comes up again, but he explains that his only moving away from the norm had been to take a little time to contemplate the situation before proceeding with the usual action.

Do continue to examine this poem. Next week, we will return to Fences. Have a peaceful and happy week and God bless!