Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Five Americans: 5. Fran" by E.E. Cummings is a sharp and evocative character study of a woman named Fran, whom the speaker describes with a mix of curiosity, critique, and resignation. Through his characteristic blend of vivid imagery and reflective tone, Cummings presents Fran as a figure who embodies physical and moral contradictions, while the speaker grapples with his own reactions to her.

The poem opens with the speaker contemplating whether he should "entirely ask of god why / on the alert neck of this brittle whore / delicately wobbles an improbably distinct face." This rhetorical question suggests a fascination with the incongruity between Fran's fragile, possibly aged or worn-out body ("brittle whore") and her "improbably distinct face." The word "delicately" conveys a sense of fragility or tenderness that contrasts with the harshness of the term "whore," highlighting the complexity of Fran's character.

The speaker continues to observe Fran's physicality, noting "how these wooden big two feet conclude / happeningly the unfirm drooping bloated / calves." The description of her feet as "wooden" suggests a lack of grace or liveliness, while "happeningly" adds an element of chance or randomness to the way her body is constructed. The "unfirm drooping bloated / calves" further emphasize the physical deterioration or awkwardness that defines Fran's appearance.

Faced with these observations, the speaker imagines the response he might receive from God: "i would receive the answer more / or less deserved, Young fellow go in peace." This imagined response is dismissive, almost as if the speaker is being told that his questions are irrelevant or that he should simply accept Fran as she is without further inquiry. The speaker, in turn, acknowledges this advice, stating that he does indeed go in peace, accepting the situation without pushing for deeper understanding.

The speaker recalls a comment made by "Dick Mid" while lifting a Green River (a reference to a popular drink), who describes him as "a bloke wot's well behaved." This reference adds a layer of social context, suggesting that the speaker sees himself as someone who generally follows the rules and doesn't rock the boat. His reference to this past moment of casual camaraderie suggests that he is someone who, while aware of life's oddities and contradictions, prefers not to dwell too deeply on them.

Despite his attempt to remain detached, the speaker admits to trying "to not wonder how let's say elation / causes the bent eyes thickly to protrude." This line captures the speaker's struggle to reconcile Fran's physical appearance with the emotions she might feel or express. The phrase "bent eyes thickly to protrude" evokes an image of someone whose emotions or experiences are so intense that they distort her physical features, making her appearance even more perplexing.

The poem concludes with the speaker reflecting on Fran's "tiniest whispered invitation," which he compares to "a clock striking in a dark house." This simile suggests that Fran's invitation, though subtle and quiet, has a powerful, almost unsettling effect on the speaker, much like the sudden and jarring sound of a clock striking in an otherwise silent, dark environment. The "dark house" could symbolize the speaker's own mind or the broader context in which Fran exists—a place where clarity and understanding are elusive, and where small actions or words carry disproportionate weight.

"Five Americans: 5. Fran" by E.E. Cummings is a nuanced exploration of a character who defies easy categorization. Through the speaker's observations and reflections, Cummings captures the tension between appearance and reality, physicality and emotion, and the speaker's own attempts to navigate these complexities. The poem ultimately suggests that some aspects of human experience, particularly those involving deeply flawed or contradictory figures like Fran, resist simple explanations and require a degree of acceptance, if not understanding.

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