Source: NewYorkLED
From the cataloging that Whitman uses in order to carve a deeper meaning beneath his words, to the invasive beauty the city of Manhattan breathes into his work, it is no wonder that Ben Lerner in his book, 10:04, was drawn towards replicating the work of Walt. Just like Whitman does in poems like “City of Ships” or “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,” Lerner’s book places the reader countless times within the magnificence of Walt’s home continuing to showcase the city as one of spectacle and allure.
Early in his novel, Lerner shows similarities to Whitman with the way in which he gathers a deeper understanding of himself and the world through a simple act, in this case, cooking stir fry for himself and sheltered protestor. Similar to Whitman, who would write pages on single subject, Lerner echoes this style of listing while in the act of cooking. At first, the narrator contemplates their role as a consumer, constantly eating other meals prepared for him rather than take part in making something for others. This thought then divulges into one where he begins to think “the fact is that realizing my selfishness just led to more selfishness; that is, I felt lonely […] nobody depended on me for this fundamental mode of care, of nurturing, nourishing” (47). The speaker continues down this rabbit hole of thought concluding that they want a child only to recoil at the idea and spiral down another hurricane of thoughts with “all of this in the time it took to prepare an Andean chenopod” (47). The way in which Lerner turns the simple act of cooking into a meditation on his role in life and what he wants to gain from it is deeply Whitmanian and this idea can be seen in Whitman’s poem, “I Saw in Louisiana A Live-Oak Growing”.
As Whitman’s poem, “I Saw in Louisiana A Live-Oak Growing,” begins the speaker, presumably Walt himself, stands in front of an oak tree in Louisiana, a simple act reminiscent of Lerner’s character cooking a meal. However, as Walt’s speaker stands in front of this oak tree, he begins to contemplate its figure which, in turn, causes him to think on life and the relationship between people. Whitman writes, “And I broke off a twig with a certain number of leaves upon it, and twined around it a little moss // And brought it away, and I have placed it in sight in my room […] it remains to me a curious token, it makes me think of manly love.” While Lerner’s character thinks on their role in life and even the thought of wanting a child, Whitman’s speaker sees this twig from an oak tree as representing manly comradeship because of its solitary state within this open space in Louisiana. However, there is a similarity here between the novel and the poem. Lerner’s character and Whitman’s tree, both in solitary spaces, echo this need for companionship and friends, something Whitman countlessly reflected upon in his works.
Ben Lerner continues to emulate Whitman in his depictions of Manhattan, and more specifically, the Brooklyn Bridge. On page 134 of his novel, the narrator is walking back to Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge, but all attention is placed with the staggering beauty of the adjacent Brooklyn Bridge that can be seen from the Manhattan Bridge. Lerner writes, “Whenever I walked across the Manhattan Bridge, I remembered myself as having crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. This is because the you can see the latter from the former, and because the latter is more beautiful” (134). This relationship that Lerner has with the Brooklyn Bridge, as seen multiple times throughout his novel, falls in line with Whitman’s fascination with the iron causeway in poems such as, “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” The Brooklyn Bridge causes a kind of outer body experience for both of these writers. In 10:04, Lerner’s character begins to conjure up an image of himself “as if I had somehow watched myself walking beneath the Brooklyn Bridge’s Aeolian cables” (135). In a similar fashion, Whitman’s poem conjures an image where the speaker has this bird’s eye view of all the people throughout the city’s past, present, and future and writes, “I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence // Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt.” There are many moments throughout Lerner’s 10:04 that feel as if they could reside within the breast pocket of one of Whitman’s pupils, but Lerner adds his own perceptions of life through his intense observations of it.
Works Cited
Lerner, Ben. 10:04: a Novel. Picador, 2015.
I really enjoyed how you tied both Ben Lerner and Walt Whitman together with their interpretations of “simple acts.” I always find it interesting how writers talk about what makes their minds tick, because often times we can relate to these moments. Big things don’t always have to be the match that starts the fire within our minds. Sometimes, its as simple as cooking stir fry for yourself, or standing in front of a tree, that makes our minds light up. And, that’s the beauty of it all – our ability to be inspired by such simple acts. I think both Lerner and Whitman do a great job in capturing the simplicity of being inspired and you did a great job in noticing that within both of them. Fabulous work, Daniel!
Great reflection on the ways in which, as Lerner notes in the novel, moments of intimacy and reflection are mined for the critical and political and unifying potential. This is, in a way, something that many great authors achieve as they mine everyday experiences for potential connections to more deeply human emotions and experiences. But the second connection you note is much more distinct and unique to Lerner and Whitman. They both have an obsession with crossing. Indeed, one course read 10:04 as an extended meditation on crossing in both an emotional, temporal, geographical, geological, and generic sense. They both turn crossing into a figure for openness, communication, reflection, and, most of all, connection. Great reflection here!