he called ‘‘outsiders, pariahs, losers.’’ Such works
range in content, coverage, and theme from psy-
chological profiles of fictionalized characters (often
exhibited through dramatic monologue), through
several heroes from blackhistory, to personae in
biographical revelation of the poet himself.
Study of these poems reveals not only much
about the artist and his perception of the artist’s
role in society (an often lonely calling), but sug-
gests as well the thematic paradox which Hayden
found so intriguing: ironically, it is the outsiders
who provide an ‘‘inside’’ view of society’s values,
its psychic energies, its most and least attractive
features. Poems like ‘‘The Rag Man,’’‘‘Aunt
Jemima of the Ocean Waves,’’‘‘[Incense] of the
Lucky Virgin,’’ and ‘‘Witch Doctor’’ subtly char-
acterize modern society while portraying its vic-
tims. More generally, portraits of such black
heroes as Nat Turner, Frederick Douglass, Har-
riet Tubman, Malcolm X, and Paul Robeson col-
lectively emphasize human strength and endurance
in resisting oppression and persecution. And
finally, most specifically, such works as ‘‘Names,’’
‘‘For a Young Artist,’’ ‘‘The Tattoed Man,’’ ‘‘Ele-
gies for Paradise Valley,’’ and ‘‘American Journal’’
lend understanding to the life, canon, and career of
one of America’s best and least appreciated con-
temporary artists.
Robert Hayden emerged from childhood feel-
ing alienated and adrift both personally and cultur-
ally; his endeavor in an artistic calling verified that
status for much of his life. Ironically, the legacy he
leaves is a perception of the outsider’s point of
view, an inside look at alienation as a psychological
state, as an informing element of poetic creation,
and as a theme endemic and pervasive in American
literature during the twentieth century. As I earlier
summarized in another context,[p]erhaps the ultimate irony of Robert Hayden’s
life and art is that this ‘‘alien,’’ this ‘‘minority’’ in
race, in unique family background, in religious
denomination, in ‘‘ivory tower’’ profession, and
in lonely artistic calling, for all his singularity,
was one of the most sensitively astute chroni-
clers of modern American history and culture.
His themes aretheAmerican themes; his artistry
in expression of them should put him in the firstHarriet Tubman (far left) with six slaves she helped guide to freedom(The Library of Congress)
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