Assignment 8: Response to American Gothic

American Gothic
John Stone

Just outside the frame
there has to be a dog
chickens, cows and hay

and a smokehouse
where a ham in hickory
is also being preserved

Here for all time
the borders of the Gothic window
anticipate the ribs

of the house
the tines of the pitchfork
repeat the triumph

of his overalls
and front and center
the long faces, the sober lips

above the upright spines
of this couple
arrested in the name of art

These two
by now
the sun this high

ought to be
in mortal time
about their businesses

Instead they linger here
within the patient fabric
of the linens they wove

he asking the artist silently
how much longer
and worrying about the crops

she no less concerned about the crops
but more to the point just now
whether she remembered

to turn off the stove.


RESPONSE:

I chose to respond to this poem as a continuation of last week’s assignment.  I was frustrated with how direct The Hunter in the Snow discussed the painting, leaving little room for the imagination.  In John Stone’s American Gothic, however, he described the painting outside the frame and explored a narrative for Grant Wood’s characters.  I found his creative approach much more enjoyable.

I loved Stone’s opening line: “Just outside the frame there has to be a dog…”.  He absorbs the given information and uses that to make his own story, then lends it to the reader to imagine his or her own visuals.  Now as I view Wood’s painting, I can see a dog sleeping beside the porch steps or walking behind the barn.

Stone also gives the characters strong attitude.  In his poem, the man is sick of standing in the hot sun as a model, desperately wishing to return to his work.  Meanwhile, his wife worries if she turned off the stove.  I love the comical approach and casual tone of Stone’s writing.  He makes it very relatable; everyone has spent time in the heat, wanting nothing more than to leave it.

The poem itself uses simple straightforward language.  Stone doesn’t describe the fur of the dog, the appearance of the smokehouse, or the nature of the couple’s “businesses”.  I thought this was a good decision, for it mirrored the simplicity of Grant’s painting and also left room for interpretation.  The lines are concise as well, and the lack of long, flowing phrases is appropriate.  While reading, one can feel the shortness of patience waiting for the artist to finish his work in the hot sun.

Stone’s interpretation of Grant’s painting reminded me of those storybooks without words.  Every child will come up with his or her own story, perhaps a different one each time.  I constantly consider the narrative behind paintings I view, as I hope to be a children’s book writer and illustrator one day.  I love reasoning why the characters are acting as they are, or wondering if they’re just as stressed about posing hours for the artist.