Introduction
The famous “O Captain! My Captain!” written by Walt Whitman is a short literary work encompassing several complex topics important to each American. It is personal and national mourning for Abraham Lincoln as well as a retrospective of the events of the Civil War and previous major historical events in the United States (Ward). The writer also indirectly describes the historical evolution of the American Dream in the poem.
“O Captain! My Captain!” and the American Dream
Whitman’s poem provides a glimpse into the essence of the American Dream and the way people of those times perceived it. The American Dream originally was a concept similar to a new beginning. It was a dream that everyone could take a ship across the ocean to new lands, find their new home, and become successful there (Wang 33). “Our fearful trip is done” line is about that (Whitman). Then, the pursuit of individual freedom, equal socioeconomic opportunities, and the desire to abstract from the old ways of Europe developed into the idea of a democratic society (Wang 33). As a result, the political and social models of North and South, Union and Confederation, began to conflict with each other, leading to the Civil War in which the former won. “The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won” line tells readers about it (Whitman). The ship’s arrival symbolizes the American nation achieving this stage of the American Dream since the Northern States abolished slavery and reunified the country.
Abraham Lincoln in “O Captain! My Captain!”
It is no secret that the plot revolving around the sudden death of the captain during the triumph in the poem symbolizes Abraham Lincoln and his assassination. Ward notes that “Walt Whitman wrote two memorial poems about the death of Abraham Lincoln.” The literary work under discussion in this paper is one of them. It is noteworthy that these two persons are “often linked as kindred spirits” (“Lincoln, Abraham (1809–1865)”). The death of the captain means not only Lincoln’s assassination but also the end of one of the stages of the American Dream and the beginning of a new one that will be brought to life by the protagonist, every American.
References
“Lincoln, Abraham (1809–1865).” The Walt Whitman Archive. n.d. Web.
Wang, Yufei. “Exploring the Realization of the American Dream—Taking the Pursuit of Happiness as an Example.” Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research: 2020 International Conference on Language, Art and Cultural Exchange (ICLACE 2020), Shijiazhuang, 2020. Atlantis Press, 2020, p. 32-36. Web.
Ward, David C. “Two Worlds of Mourning: Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln’s Death.” National Portrait Gallery. n.d. Web.
Whitman, Walt. “O Captain! My Captain!” Poetry Foundation, 1891. Web.