Kevin Kim

3/5/16
Prof. Petrides

Literary Analysis of Wolfe and Blake

In Thomas Wolfes story, The Child by Tiger, the audience can clearly see how
Thomas Wolfe uses William Blakes, The Tyger, in developing his own story and
perspective comparing and contrasting from Blakes poem. Taking from Blakes poem,
The Tyger, the reader can see how Thomas Wolfe incorporates Blakes symbolism
practically foreshadowing the themes, tone, language and symbolism in creating the
complexity of morality in a way which fits quite remarkably in Thomas Wolfes own era
of extreme racism, prejudice, social consciousness, and the question of ethics. Thomas
Wolfe creates quite a scenario in the context of his generation and personal experiences
with the main antagonist/protagonist, Dick Prosser through the eyes of a very neutral
Spangler. Throughout the development of the story, The Child by Tiger, the audience
reasonably struggles in questioning their own morality and the context to which we base
our own ethics regardless of race as Dick Prosser is introduced and carried on as an
aesthetically beautiful specimen of man who is kind, respected and held in high
contention and confidence by the Sheppertons, Spangler and practically everyone who
encounters him. Dick Prossers downfall and seemingly random and unforeseen acts of
extreme violence in the murder of the townspeople invokes the main theme and
symbolism of Blakes Tiger quite literally and metaphorically.
Firstly, by analyzing William Blakes poem, The Tyger, the reader can view the
basis and underlying narrative of how Thomas Wolfe uses Blakes symbolism of the tiger
in espousing the duality of morbidity and morality along with the clashing of aesthetic
beauty with the innate violence of nature. From William Blakes poem, the audience can
see how Blake was in some ways tormented and full of questioning in the ontological
nature of beauty compounded by ferocious violence. The reader can view Blakes
ambiguous views and his morbid curiosity with the unpleasant duality of beauty and
violence from the first few lines of Blakes poem. Tyger tiger, burning bright, in the
forests of the night; what immortal hand or eye, could frame they fearful symmetry?
Blake a highly religious man who claimed to have had visions and whose work was
heavily influenced by Christianity (from his paintings to his brilliant work, A Marriage
of Heaven and Hell.) can see just from the beginning of the poem, Blake questioning
god by in essence asking god where this cruelty comes from. Through Blake questioning
god his own views of morality through the curious and morbid creations of the Christian
god are espoused. Throughout Blakes poem the audience can clearly see how Blake uses
the tiger as the catalyst and symbol of Blakes view of the strange marriage between the
omnipotent creator and evil. As the tiger is an aesthetically gorgeous animal, graceful
and elegant, yet at the same time vicious and deadly, from Blakes lines in his poem the
audience can understand how Blake tried to come to grips with the duality of beauty and
violence. From the lines, and what shoulder and what art, could twist the sinews of thy
heart? And when thy heart began to beat, what dread hand and what dread feet? What
the hammer? What the chain, in what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? What

dread grasp, dare its deadly terrors clasp! When the stars threw down their spears, and
waterd heaven with their tears: did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the lamb
make thee? From these lines in Blakes poem it is important to note how he invokes the
lamb which is a harmless and rather docile creature in its nature as opposed to the
violence of the tiger. This comparison shows in Blakes symbolism and theme which is
directly correlated to Thomas Wolfes Dick Prosser because Prosser shows qualities of
both the lamb and the tiger. So in conclusion, understanding the theme of Blakes,
Tyger, and his symbolism of the morbid and controversial innate relationship of
morality and evil, the audience can clearly see how Thomas Wolfe foreshadows Blake in
Wolfes own context and times of social unrest.
Now that William Blakes themes and symbolism of, The Tyger, is better
understood we can now turn to how Thomas Wolfe develops his own story, The Child
by Tiger, drawing from Blakes own struggles with morality. Set in a turbulent time of
heavy racism in the late 1930s in North Carolina, Dick Prosser whom is a mysterious
black man with a shady past comes to work for the Sheppertons and is immediately
embraced and respected. Thomas Wolfe who uses the first person objective narrative lets
the audience determine for themselves what kind of man Dick Prosser is which is at first
obviously on the positive side as he is immediately lamented by the neutral main
observer, Spangler. For example, in paragraph six, Spangler states, we can see that he
admirers Dick very much thenit seemed to us boys that there was very little that Dick
could not do and, we were all so proud of him. Dick is also viewed by Spangler as
tender and careful, as he says in paragraph 7, There was something amazingly tender
and watchful about him. This side of Dick Prosser symbolizes the aesthetic moral
beauty of the tiger both physically and metaphorically. The qualities of Prosser from the
beginning to his mysterious and violent end systematically encompasses William Blakes
struggle of how someone so beautiful can also be compelled towards vicious violence.
As morality is mysterious to Blake shown in, The Tyger, Dick Prosser is also shown as
a very mysterious individual with odd characteristics. For example, Spangler says in
paragraph 13, And yet? He went too softly, at too swift pace. It is also puzzling the
way in which Dick Prosser talks to the lads as in paragraph 15, there would be times
when he would almost moan when he talked to us, a kind of hymnal chant that came from
some deep and fathomless intoxication of the spirit, and that transported him. Dick
Prosser is also symbolically compared to a cat both physically and characteristically
which is definitely in relation to William Blakes tiger. For example, physically Thomas
Wolfe frequently mentions his graceful physical appearance and especially his strong
hands. In paragraph 3 Spangler says, Sheppertons new negro man, came along,
gathered it up in his great black paw. Characteristically Prosser is described as sneaky
and always observant. As mentioned by Spangler in paragraph 13,And yet? He went too
softly, at too swift a pace. He was there upon you sometimes like a cat. Looking before
us, sometimes seeing nothing but the world before us, suddenly we felt a shadow at our
backs and looking up, would find that Dick was there. And there was something moving
in the night. Thomas Wolfe also draws heavily on the parallels of Blakes theme of
religion in, The Tyger, with Dick Prossers great faith in god. As from Blakes
ambiguous views on the morality of god, Wolfe heavily points this out with Prosser. As
Prosser is introduced as a god fearing religious man with great morals in the end he hends

up randomly killing 9 townspeople one of whom, John Chapman was according to

Spangler, Perhaps the best liked man upon the force. He was a pleasant florid faced
man of 45, with curlying brown mustache, congenial and good humored, devoted to his
family, courageous, but perhaps too kindly and too gentle for a policeman. This violent
and random killings of the townspeople; especially some of whom as Mr. Chapman are
lamented as great people causes a great rift for the audience to go from respecting and
admiring Prosser too having an intense amount of hatred towards him. This goes both
ways in which the townsmen react to forming a mob, ravaging Cash Eagers store like
animals and the pride some of the men have in killing him. For example, in paragraph
110, Spangler talks about how Ben Pounders