On Whitman's Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand (1)

Yuen M. Ho
English 48B
January 12, 2007
Journal #3 Walt Whitman

I. Quote

“The way is suspicious, the result uncertain, perhaps destructive,
You would have to give up all else, I alone would expect to be your sole and exclusive
Standard,
Your novitiate would even then be long and exhausting,
The whole past theory of your life and all conformity to the lives around you would have
To be abandon’d”

II. Summary

There are few clues in this poem indicating that Whitman was talking about love between two men. First, he used “he” to represent the “candidate for my affections” – his love. Second, in a more implicit way, he mentioned that “the way is suspicious, the result uncertain, perhaps destructive.” This is a true reflection of most homosexual relationships as the couple often has to attempt to escape from the spotlight if they do not want to confront society pressure and controversy. Third, he also described in the same stanza that “all conformity to the lives around you would have to be abandon’d.” This suggests that the relationship is not like most others; it may not be normal to the societal standard. Fourth, “comrade” was used to describe the relationship. Since comrade is normally used to describe friendship between two males, it is very apparent that Whitman is not talking about relationship between opposite sexes.

This (part of a) stanza points out a sad truth for homosexual relationships at that time period. Not just do they suffer from immense pressure, they may even have to depart from their past lives: friends, family and jobs. While Whitman was courageous enough to reveal his sexual orientation, he was fearful of the results, for it might be too grueling for his loved one to handle. Thus, he, in this poem, asked his love not to continue this journey with him.

III. Response

It is hard for me to imagine what it was like to be homosexual so far back then. Even nowadays, homosexuality is condemned in most societies and cultures, including the free land of America. I believe that it would have been too shocking for people at that time to handle; don’t even mention about acceptance. While I pity Whitman for the struggles he was facing, I appreciate his courage to write this poem. Even though he was asking his loved one to leave him, this suggestion was obviously made out of enormous love and sacrifices.