Traveling through the Dark

“Traveling Through the Dark” is a very graphic poem that readily captivates the reader’s attention. As the images from the poem leave a lasting impression, the reader now empathizes or vicariously contemplates about the speaker’s actions. Through these images, William Stafford intended to raise the reader’s consciousness regarding the justification behind one’s own actions and doing the proper deed. “Traveling Through the Dark” may seem like a poem that simply describes the seemingly random progression of nature; however, interpreting Stafford’s vivid descriptions, imagery, and symbols will reveal a deeper meaning.

Stafford’s deliberate descriptions and choice of word usages are fundamentally basic and well placed. With the use of imagination, the reader can easily piece together the dramatic scenes the narrator recounts in the poem. Stafford’s prose is capable of casting such dramatic images into the reader’s mind because he uses the meaningful and cogent expressions to present his work. Since he does not bombard the reader with gratuitous words and strenuous vocabulary, the reader’s imagination is readily channeled to focus and visualize on the dead carcasses and the speaker. Stafford wants the readers to concentrate more on the speaker than the deer because it is the speaker’s actions that readers are supposed to judge.

Moreover, word order in Stafford’s sentences heavily influence how the reader is supposed to understand this poem. In the first two lines, the reader, like the speaker, encounters a deer. Stafford purposely avoids telling the reader that the deer is dead in the first line, for he separates the words “deer” and “dead” for a particular reason. In the opening line, the reader is to infer that the deer is alive and in a split-second the deer is dead in the following line. However, the deer is not the subject of that sentence; thus, it is the speaker who killed the deer with his car. As the reader continues this poem, one finds that the sensory perceptions of sight, touch, and hearing are affected. Thus, by incorporating the first person perspective with these senses, the reader feels as if he is struggling in the situation and can depict the dead pregnant deer laying in front of him. Stafford’s use of the first person to describe the scene brings home the reality such imagery that helps the reader easily illustrate the poem. With the first person perspective, the reader not only experiences the savagery of nature, but also feels the same sense of the speaker’s hesitation over an unexpected dilemma, as the speaker must reconcile these conflicts that lead to the final fate of the doe’s fawn. For example, in the third stanza, Stafford does not clearly annunciate that the deer is pregnant, but “large in the belly” and that “her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting; / alive, still, never to be born.” By forcing the reader to fathom the meaning of his descriptions, the image of an unborn fawn becomes implanted in our minds, giving a fatalistic perception that is an indispensable element in nature’s circle of life.

Stafford’s poem leads the reader to rethink critically those real life issues about moral judgments on one’s actions and consequences. However, with further analysis on symbolism, the reader can apply Stafford’s theme to not only himself, but also towards the dynamics of society. As such, life is a ride on the road. People typically have a set route for goals and are headed in a chosen direction in life; however, unexpected occurrences like the dead deer will force the person to decide whether to wait and deal with the situation or to deviate from its original path and take a detour in making the life journey. In this poem, the surroundings and road are cloaked in darkness. This element of uncertainty not only retards the reader’s temerity from digressing his attention in the face of the unforeseen hurdles of dead carcasses, but also resembles a mysterious, dangerous, and ominous suspense that adds instability to the normal course of life’s progression. As described in the poem, it is darkness that also represents the unpredictability of our daily lives. Like the headlights of the car that emit a glimpse guidance, humans, who have the ability to analyze their actions, can expect the unknowns within them as they follow the winding road into the uncertainty and darkness ahead of life’s journey.

“Traveling Through the Dark” casts images that are emotionally stirring in the reader’s mind. Importantly, the speaker does indeed feel remorseful and responsible not only for the death of the doe, but also for the demise of the new hope in the fawn. By depicting his hesitant behavior, action of lowering the parking lights, and compassionate thinking, Stafford leads the reader to understand that the speaker is not heartless. One must realize the consequences if he had delivered that fawn. The fawn may struggle to survive or may die miserably because it does not have its mother to nurture and raise it.

This poem’s well-crafted and highly structured sentences create meaningful images that leave the reader with a sense of righteousness to rationalize his decisions on choosing between rights and wrongs. Stafford’s terse writing style achieves its intended goal of weaving scenes of images in the minds of its reader by reflecting on the reality of the moral elements and their consequences that pervade in our society. (890)