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Introduction to Literary Context: American Poetry of the 20th Century

Luke Havergal

by Jennifer Bouchard

by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Content Synopsis

Written in iambic pentameter, this four-stanza poem opens with the speaker telling Luke Havergal to “Go to the western gate” (1) where the crimson leaves hang from the vine, and wait and for “what will come” (3). The speaker tells Luke Havergal that if he listens there, “she,” presumably Havergal's deceased lover, “will call” (6). Lines 1 and 7 repeat “Go to the western gate, Luke Havergal.”

In stanza 2, the speaker tells the speaker that there is “no dawn in eastern skies to rift the fiery night that's in your eyes” (9). However, at the western gate, the “dark will end the dark.” Even God “slays himself” and “hell is more than half of paradise” at the western gate.

The speaker reveals in stanza three that he has come “out of the grave” to talk to Luke Havergal (17). The speaker tells him that there is only “one way to where she is” and if he has faith, he cannot miss (21–22).

The final stanza revisits the first and the speaker tells Luke Havergal to “Go to the western gate” (25). He tells him to go before the crimson leaves are blown away and if he listens, “she will call” (30).

Symbols & Motifs

The western gate clearly represents the barrier between life and death. The speaker tells Luke Havergal that if he goes to the gate, he will hear his love call, however, he does not tell Luke Havergal to go through the gate to the other side. It is unclear whether the speaker is beckoning Luke Havergal to commit suicide or simply to confront his lover's death and find closure (Adams).

The crimson leaves that hang from the vine have a symbolic significance as red is a potent color symbol. The color may represent sin or sacrifice, as it is the color of blood, or it may represent love. Further, because leaves turn red they fall and die, the fact that the speaker tells Luke Havergal to go to the western gate before the leaves blow away suggests that the opportunity to connect with his dead love is likewise ephemeral.

Historical Context

“Luke Havergal” does not have a specific historical context.

Societal Context

Although he lived during the rise of modernism, Edwin Arlington Robinson used to more traditional forms and styles and is considered a Romantic poet. Romantics believed in the power of intuition and emotion over rational thought, and this belief is reflected in “Luke Havergal” as its speaker is a voice from another world who advises the title character to go to the western gate to hear his dead lover's call. Robinson's poetry delivered an atmosphere of mysticism and gloom, a reflection of what appeared to be his rather joyless life (Ellman and O'Clair 211). In a short span of time, from 1893 to 1899, Robinson lost his parents and his siblings and was twice refused by the woman he loved.

Religious Context

“Luke Havergal” does not have a specific religious context except that it acknowledges a belief in life after death. The speaker comes “out of the grave” to tell Luke that his love will “call” if he goes to the western gate, assuming that her spirit can communicate with the living. Robinson was not a Christian, and he insisted that there was no “philosophy” in his work (Ellman and O'Clair 211).

Scientific & Technological Context

“Luke Havergal” does not have a specific scientific or technological context.

Biographical Context

Edwin Arlington Robinson was born in 1869 in Head Tide, Maine and lived in the town of Gardiner until age 27 (Beers and Probst 644). Robinson based the town of Tilbury, which frequently appeared in his poems, on Gardiner (644). His father, Edward, was a successful lumber merchant and politician. A shy and quiet child, Robinson was fascinated with words and spent much time trying to find and learn new and difficult ones (Smith). At a young age, he realized that he wanted to be a poet and was tutored by a neighbor, Dr. Alanson Schumann (Smith). In 1890, Robinson's brother Herman married Emma Shepherd, the woman whom Robinson himself had hoped to marry. This love triangle is believed to have influenced his poetry for years to come (Smith). After high school, Robinson attended Harvard University, but he was forced to drop out and return to Gardiner as his family's finances began to decline (Smith).

His father died in 1893, and he lost his mother in 1896, just before the publication of his first book, “The Torrent and the Night Before” (Smith). In 1899, his brother Dean died of an overdose. Herman became an alcoholic after his business failed, and he, too, died a short time later. Robinson's most famous poem “Richard Cory” is suspected to be based on Herman's life (Smith).

At age 27, he moved to New York City to pursue his career as a writer. There, he revised “The Torrent and the Night Before” into the book, “The Children of the Night,” which became his first commercial publication (Smith). He worked odd jobs for a year, then President Theodore Roosevelt, a fan of his poetry, offered him a job as a clerk in the New York Custom House (Beers and Probst 644). Robinson worked there for five years, until the end of Roosevelt's term. His next volume of poetry, “The Town Down the River” was published in 1910, and he dedicated it to Roosevelt (644).

In 1911, Robinson was invited to join the MacDowell Colony, artists' colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, for working writers, artists, and composers. He continued to spend his summers at the MacDowell Colony until his death in 1935 (Beers and Probst 644). Robinson's traditional poetry became quite popular despite the growth of Modernism during his lifetime (644). He won the Pulitzer Prize three times.

Works Cited

1 

Adams, Richard P. “The Failure of Edwin Arlington Robinson.” TSE: Tulane Studies in English. Vol. 11 (1961): 97–51.

2 

Beers, Kylene and Robert Probst, eds. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course, Literature of the United States. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2003. 409–417.

3 

Ellman, Richard and Robert O'Clair, Ed. The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. 2nd Ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1988. 210–213.

4 

Robinson, Edwin Arlington. “Luke Havergal.” The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. 2nd Ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1988. 210–213.

5 

Smith, Danny D. “Biography of Edwin Arlington Robinson.” Gardiner Public Library. 29 April 2009. <http://www.earobinson.com/pages/HisLife.html>.

Discussion Questions

  1. How would you describe tone of the poem?

  2. Who is the speaker of the poem?

  3. What is the effect of the repetition in the poem? What purpose does it serve?

  4. Do you find irony in the poem?

  5. What are the main themes of the poem?

  6. What images are used in the poem? And why do you think Robinson chose them?

  7. Why do you think the speaker wants Luke Havergal to go to the western gate?

Essay Ideas

  1. Read a few of Robinson's other poems, and write an essay in which you describe and analyze Robinson's poetic style.

  2. Compare this poem to others that deal with the death of a loved one. Compare and contrast the poems in terms of style, tone, symbolism, and theme.

  3. Write a poem in which you approach the subject of death from the perspective of the living.

  4. Write a poem in which you approach the subject of death from the perspective of the dead.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Bouchard, Jennifer. "Luke Havergal." Introduction to Literary Context: American Poetry of the 20th Century,Salem Press, 2014. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=LCPoet_0017.
APA 7th
Bouchard, J. (2014). Luke Havergal. Introduction to Literary Context: American Poetry of the 20th Century. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Bouchard, Jennifer. "Luke Havergal." Introduction to Literary Context: American Poetry of the 20th Century. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2014. Accessed July 12, 2025. online.salempress.com.