Skunk Hour

A detailed Summary of Skunk Hour

Skunk Hour by Robert Lowell and The Armadillo by Elizabeth Bishop are two closely related poems. Both share the theme of an animal carrying with it natural defenses, and the image of an isolated spectator. However, there is one important contrast between these poems: The Armadillo portrays a creature who cannot comprehend the events destroying the life about it, whereas the speaker in Skunk Hour understands, possibly too well, the events affecting its life.

By using the skunk as a descriptive element for his character, Robert Lowell increases the distance between the character and the brief glimpse of society portrayed in the poem. Skunks, generally, are avoided by everyone because of their reputation for spraying unwelcome visitors with a noxious vapor. Here, the reason for Robert Lowell's choice in animals becomes obvious. Utilizing such an isolated animal to parallel the thoughts of the speaker, Lowell considerably strengthens the distance between the speaker of the poem and the "love-cars" (Lowell 11) being watched. Even if the occupants of those cars knew they were being observed, chances are they would not associate themselves with the speaker.

Lowell, Robert. "Skunk Hour," in The Vintage Book Of Contemporary American Poetry, ed. J.D. McClatchy. New York: Vintage Books, 1990. p. 10-11

At this point, the speaker of The Armadillo becomes a contrast to the character in Skunk Hour. Instead of merely being a nighttime voyeur of unsuspecting people making-out in their cars, the speaker in The Armadillo becomes something great, gaining the ability to recognize the loss of life about it. However, at the same time, the character becomes insignificant as will be seen in the following excerpt.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 872
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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Skunk Hour

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