Introduction
Traveling through the Dark is a poem that was written by an American poet William Stafford and published in 1962. The narrator is driving through the night when he spots a dead deer on the edge of the road. He decides to move the body; otherwise, it could cause accidents due to drivers attempting to swerve around it. While dragging the animal off, the narrator notices a swelling in its belly and realizes that it is a pregnant female, with the fawn alive inside. He hesitates for a moment, but eventually does push the body into the river. With this poem, Stafford explores the ideas of facing death and moral responsibility in a lose-lose situation. Moreover, the author draws attention to the devastating effect that people’s technology often has on the natural world. The specific horribleness of this effect is that not only do animals die because of it, they become foreigners in their own habitat.
Humanity’s Indifference
Even though it is not stated directly in the text, the reader assumes that the doe was hit by a car, the driver of which did not even stop to move her body out of the way. The fact that the animal was left there on the road to die not only shows how technology destroys the nature, but also how indifferent humanity is regarding the role it plays in this destruction. The doe’s habitat was encroached by people who constructed the road; had it not been there, she would have still been alive. Her death is directly tied to technology’s intrusion into the natural world. Fairchild notes that Stafford speaks about the events almost like a reporter, with a “semi-detached eye”, which creates an impression that it is a common thing for drivers to spot dead animals on roads (166). When something becomes a common thing, it stops causing one to feel much, and the narrator’s reaction to seeing the doe’s body shows how desensitized humanity has become towards its own horrifying impact.
Being Foreign
However, what the narrator is not desensitized to is human death. He justifies his decision to move the body by stating that “that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead” (Stafford 132). Suddenly, in her own world, the doe becomes a foreign element, an obstacle on other drivers’ way that needs to be removed. It is almost as if the animal has invaded the human surroundings and now has to be managed. In reality, it is technology and people who believe they have the right to go anywhere they want that violate the nature’s calm and are the reason behind such deaths.
Glimpses of Sensitivity
Technology and the ever-increasing benefits it brings seem to be humanity’s main priorities. However, some disagree with the take that the narrator does not feel anything. In Fairchild’s opinion, he is sad but resigned, which seems to be an appropriate reaction to a common tragedy (166). The narrator’s sensitivity is evident in the fact that he reacts to his realization of the still alive fawn in the doe’s belly. It forces him to contemplate the decision to throw the body into the water as well as his place in the world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the theme of the conflict between nature and technology is one of the most prominent ones in Traveling through the Dark. By creating a plotline in which a dead doe’s body becomes an obstacle for a human driver in her own environment, Stafford creates a perfect metaphor. The author draws the reader’s attention to the cruelty and insensibility of human technology towards the natural world and encourages them to think about the role they play in this grand scheme of things.
Works Cited
Fairchild, Terry. “Stafford’s Traveling Through the Dark.” The Explicator, vol. 55, no. 3, 1997, pp. 165-168.
Stafford, William. Traveling Through the Dark. Harper & Row, 1962.