Many red devils ran from my heart
And out upon the page,
They were so tiny
The pen could mash them.
And many struggled in the ink.
It was strange
To write in this red muck
Of things from my heart.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Stephen Crane's poem Many red devils ran from my heart

8 Comments

  1. Timeless says:

    Red devils are our own inner demons we each must confront. They are separate and different for every individual, yet they are all with in us and we must deal with them of our own accord.

  2. Pam Simmons says:

    Perhaps this was a telling of when one is beginning to write on a subject, but the words that flow out are reflective of a state of mind the writer was unaware of and was suprised by the change of attitude as he was writing. The mind can become freed as an idea grows while it is being examined and expressed; an idea can also be crushed during examination and expression. The devils could be an idea he wanted to disagree with at the start.

  3. Joel says:

    What a shame and loss to get nothing from this. I interpret it to be about expressing oneself honestly and truly, and maybe they’re devils because they’re the things about ourselves we’ve never had the courage to face or admit to, but to struggle to put that “red muck” into words releases, names, and conquers those facets of our self. What a shame to not enjoy this, to miss out on all it says. One would have to know nothing about honest personal writing.

  4. Christy says:

    I think the poem has a feeling of relief attached to it. While the speaker finds writing that way strange, he also is happy to put his thoughts on paper, or out into the world. They may not be the best of thoughts, but they are his.

  5. Mike says:

    I think this poem is just saying that his work is influenced by something against God.. like “devils”

  6. Danielle says:

    I haven’t found a single work by this man that I’ve enjoyed.

  7. john says:

    I don’t understand it but i like it!!!!!!

  8. jester says:

    this is a good poem!!!!!!!

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