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Poet: Wallace Stevens
Poem: The Emperor Of Ice-Cream
Volume: Harmonium
Year: Published/Written in 1923
Comment 5 of 5, added on December 10th, 2007 at 12:43 AM.
This poem reveals that only a few things that are certain in life, and "seeming" does not always mean "being". The setting is a funeral wake and the theme (hedonism) is conveyed by the fact that the woman in the casket is desregarded as the visitors pursue their own selfish desires. The muscular man whipping up "concupiscent curds" symbolizes the basic human satisfactions of lust and ice cream (i.e. a food that we eat simply because of the delicious taste). Also, the dresser lacking 3 glass knobs is representative of the trinity, absent in this household.
truly a beautiful poem with much more to interpret if you take the time.
Nick from United States
Comment 4 of 5, added on January 15th, 2007 at 10:39 AM.
I believe this poem is a mixture of death and hedonism. As others already noted, there is a funeral scene but there is also much more… You have a muscular man whipping up concupiscent (lust filled) curds – probably having sex – in the kitchen, while girls and boys dressed as they should, bring flowers in last month’s newspapers. And all of this happens to give a finale to the dead woman in the second stanza.
So already there is death and pleasure mixed in together. Moreover, look at the emphasis on ice cream, a food that exists for no other reason than it tastes good. And if you think about it, since its introduction to cuisine it has been the ultimate symbol of hedonism.
The poem claims, “The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.” Hedonism is the true authority.
The funeral happens to recognize a woman’s death, yes, but let’s not ignore the party in the back, the sex in the kitchen and the glory of ice cream. The people recognize death, but at the same time (perhaps for that very reason) they celebrate the pleasure and experience of living.
There is no life after death but there is life this side of death – enjoy it.
Ben from United Kingdom
Comment 3 of 5, added on February 28th, 2006 at 9:50 AM.
I like this poem....it was hard to interpret at first but after many reading came to the conclusion that he is at a funeral of a dead woman, and back in that time negro funerals had a tradition of serving ice cream at these funerals.....if anyone has a deeper explanation please post it.....I would love to read about this poem...
Lynda from Canada
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Comments
This poem reveals that only a few things that are certain in life, and "seeming" does not always mean "being". The setting is a funeral wake and the theme (hedonism) is conveyed by the fact that the woman in the casket is desregarded as the visitors pursue their own selfish desires. The muscular man whipping up "concupiscent curds" symbolizes the basic human satisfactions of lust and ice cream (i.e. a food that we eat simply because of the delicious taste). Also, the dresser lacking 3 glass knobs is representative of the trinity, absent in this household.
truly a beautiful poem with much more to interpret if you take the time.
Nick from United States