Welcome, aspiring literary explorers, to an insightful journey into the heart of Mark McWatt’s compelling poem, “Ol’ Higue.” This piece offers a unique lens through which to view a creature of folklore, challenging our preconceived notions and inviting us to delve into deeper human truths. Prepare to uncover the layers of meaning, the masterful use of language, and the profound cultural resonance embedded within this remarkable work.
Ol’ Higue
By Mark McWatt
You think I like all this stupidness
gallivanting all night without skin
burning myself out like cane fire
To frighten the foolish?
And for what? A few drops of baby blood?
You think I wouldn’t rather
take my blood seasoned in fat
black pudding, like everyone else?
And don’t even talk ’bout the pain of salt
And having to bend these old bones down
To count a thousand grains of rice!If only babies didn’t smell so nice!
And if I could only stop
Hearing the soft, soft call
Of that pure blood running in new veins,
Singing the sweet song of life
Tempting an old, dry-up woman who been
Holding her final note for years,
Afraid of the dying hum…Then again, if I didn’t fly and come
to that fresh pulse in the middle of the night,
how would you, mother,
name your ancient dread,
And who to blame
for the murder inside your head…?
Believe me –
As long as there are women giving birth
A poor Ol’ Higue like me can never die.
Ol’ Higue Summary: Unveiling a Folkloric Figure
Mark McWatt’s “Ol’ Higue” is a captivating poem that reimagines a central figure from Caribbean folklore: the Ol’ Higue, also known as a soucouyant. Traditionally depicted as a terrifying, blood-sucking witch who sheds her skin at night, McWatt presents this creature not as a purely malevolent entity, but as a complex, weary being. The poem is a dramatic monologue, allowing the Ol’ Higue herself to speak directly to the reader, confessing her burdens and even her reluctant motivations.
The central idea of the poem revolves around the Ol’ Higue’s paradoxical existence. She expresses profound weariness with her monstrous life, lamenting the “stupidness” of her nightly rituals and the pain associated with them. Yet, she is irresistibly drawn to the “pure blood running in new veins” of babies. Most profoundly, the poem suggests that the Ol’ Higue serves a crucial, albeit dark, societal function: she is the necessary scapegoat, the embodiment of “ancient dread” that allows humanity to externalize and blame its own fears and unexplained tragedies. Her existence, therefore, becomes intertwined with the continuation of human life and its inherent anxieties.
For a common understanding of this poem, it is noteworthy that the Ol’ Higue is a deeply ingrained figure in Caribbean oral traditions. This poem transcends a simple scary story, offering a nuanced exploration of fear, blame, and the enduring power of folklore to shape human understanding of life, death, and the unknown. It challenges readers to empathize with an unlikely character and consider the deeper psychological needs that such figures fulfill within a community.
Ol’ Higue Analysis: Exploring Central Themes
The poem “Ol’ Higue” delves into several profound themes, offering a rich landscape for literary analysis.
The Burden of Monstrosity and Reluctant Evil
A primary theme is the unexpected burden of being a monster. The Ol’ Higue does not revel in her actions; instead, she expresses profound exhaustion and even resentment. This is evident in lines such as:
You think I like all this stupidness
gallivanting all night without skin
burning myself out like cane fire
To frighten the foolish?
She longs for a normal existence, wishing she could “take my blood seasoned in fat / black pudding, like everyone else,” highlighting a desire for normalcy and an aversion to her cursed nature. Her “pain of salt” and the tedious task of counting “a thousand grains of rice” are traditional deterrents, here presented as genuine hardships she endures, humanizing her struggle.
Irresistible Temptation and Primal Instinct
Despite her weariness, the Ol’ Higue is driven by an uncontrollable, primal urge. The poem vividly portrays the irresistible allure of new life:
If only babies didn’t smell so nice!
And if I could only stop
Hearing the soft, soft call
Of that pure blood running in new veins,
Singing the sweet song of life
This portrays her actions not as a choice born of malice, but as an instinctual response to an overwhelming temptation, akin to an addiction. She is an “old, dry-up woman who been / Holding her final note for years,” suggesting a deep-seated connection to life that she cannot sever, even as it drains her.
The Societal Need for a Scapegoat
Perhaps the most profound theme is the Ol’ Higue’s role as a necessary figure for human society. She posits that her existence provides a crucial outlet for human anxieties and the need for blame:
how would you, mother,
name your ancient dread,
And who to blame
for the murder inside your head…?
Here, the Ol’ Higue becomes a symbol for the externalization of internal fears and unexplained misfortunes. She absorbs the “murder inside your head,” suggesting that without her, humanity would struggle to confront its own darker impulses or the randomness of tragedy. Her final lines reinforce this symbiotic relationship:
As long as there are women giving birth
A poor Ol’ Higue like me can never die.
This implies that as long as there is new life, with its accompanying vulnerabilities and fears, there will always be a need for a figure like the Ol’ Higue to embody those anxieties, ensuring her eternal, albeit weary, existence.
Literary Devices in Ol’ Higue: Crafting Meaning and Emotion
Mark McWatt masterfully employs a range of literary devices and poetic techniques to enrich the poem’s meaning and enhance its emotional impact. Understanding these elements is key to a comprehensive Ol’ Higue analysis.
Dramatic Monologue and Voice
The poem is a prime example of a dramatic monologue, where a single speaker addresses an implied audience (the reader) revealing their character, motivations, and circumstances. This allows for an intimate, direct connection with the Ol’ Higue. Her voice is authentic and colloquial, using phrases like “stupidness,” “gallivanting,” and “dry-up woman,” which grounds her in a specific cultural context and makes her confession feel genuine and immediate.
Imagery: Painting Vivid Pictures of Temptation and Torment
McWatt uses rich, sensory imagery to bring the Ol’ Higue’s world to life. Visual imagery is striking:
gallivanting all night without skin
burning myself out like cane fire
The image of “cane fire” evokes both destructive energy and the exhaustion of a creature burning itself out. Olfactory imagery is particularly potent in conveying her temptation:
If only babies didn’t smell so nice!
This simple line powerfully communicates the primal, irresistible draw of her prey. Auditory imagery captures the allure of life:
Hearing the soft, soft call
Of that pure blood running in new veins,
Singing the sweet song of life
The blood is personified, singing a “sweet song,” making its temptation almost musical and impossible to ignore. These images collectively create a vivid portrait of her unwilling torment.
Rhetorical Questions: Engaging the Reader Directly
The Ol’ Higue frequently poses rhetorical questions, directly engaging the reader and challenging their assumptions about her nature. These questions do not demand an answer but compel reflection:
To frighten the foolish?
And for what? A few drops of baby blood?
And later, when she questions her role in society:
how would you, mother,
name your ancient dread,
And who to blame
for the murder inside your head…?
These questions force the reader to consider her perspective, blurring the lines between monster and victim, and making the reader complicit in the narrative by prompting self-examination.
Symbolism: Layers of Meaning
Several elements in the poem carry significant symbolic weight, adding depth to the Ol’ Higue analysis.
- Blood: Symbolizes life, vitality, sustenance, and primal instinct. It is both the source of her curse and her irresistible temptation.
- Skin: The shedding of skin symbolizes transformation, vulnerability, and the dual nature of the Ol’ Higue. Without her skin, she is a monstrous entity; with it, she might appear human.
- Cane Fire: Represents destructive energy, exhaustion, and the intense, consuming nature of her existence. It also grounds the poem in a Caribbean agricultural landscape.
- Salt and Rice Grains: These are traditional folkloric deterrents against the Ol’ Higue. Here, they symbolize the tedious, painful aspects of her existence and the constant struggle against her nature. Counting grains of rice is a futile, endless task, mirroring her eternal burden.
- Babies: Symbolize innocence, new life, vulnerability, and the cyclical nature of birth and death that sustains the Ol’ Higue.
Enjambment: Creating Flow and Emphasis
Enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, is used effectively to create a natural, conversational flow, mimicking the Ol’ Higue’s stream of consciousness. It also allows for emphasis on certain words or ideas placed at the beginning of a new line. Consider these lines:
You think I wouldn’t rather
take my blood seasoned in fat
black pudding, like everyone else?
The enjambment here emphasizes her desire for a mundane, human form of sustenance. Another example:
If only babies didn’t smell so nice!
And if I could only stop
Hearing the soft, soft call
This technique draws the reader quickly through her longing, creating a sense of urgency and continuous thought.
Assonance and Consonance: The Music of Language
McWatt skillfully employs assonance (repetition of vowel sounds) and consonance (repetition of consonant sounds) to enhance the poem’s musicality and emotional resonance.
- Assonance: The repetition of the long ‘i’ sound in “Singing the sweet song of life / Tempting an old, dry-up woman who been / Holding her final note for years, / Afraid of the dying hum…” creates a mournful, lingering quality. The short ‘o’ in “soft, soft call” creates a gentle, almost hypnotic effect.
- Consonance: The repeated ‘s’ sound in “soft, soft call” and “sweet song” adds to the alluring, almost whispering quality of the blood’s temptation. The ‘n’ sounds in “gallivanting all night without skin” contribute to the restless, continuous motion described.
Free Verse and Stanza Structure
“Ol’ Higue” is written in free verse, meaning it does not adhere to a strict rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This choice allows McWatt to prioritize the natural rhythms of speech and the authentic voice of the Ol’ Higue, making her confession feel more immediate and genuine. The poem is divided into three distinct stanzas, each serving a specific purpose in the narrative arc:
- The first stanza introduces the Ol’ Higue’s weariness, resentment, and the mundane hardships of her existence.
- The second stanza delves into her internal conflict, revealing the irresistible temptation that drives her actions despite her desire to stop.
- The third stanza broadens the perspective, revealing her perceived societal role as a necessary scapegoat and the paradoxical nature of her immortality.
This structure allows the poem to progress from personal complaint to internal struggle, and finally to a profound philosophical statement about her place in the human world.
The Enduring Legacy of Ol’ Higue
Mark McWatt’s “Ol’ Higue” stands as a powerful testament to the enduring relevance of folklore and the complexity of seemingly simple tales. Through the Ol’ Higue’s weary voice, the poem invites readers to look beyond superficial fear and consider the deeper psychological and societal functions that such figures fulfill. It is a masterful exploration of burden, temptation, and the human need for explanation and blame.
By dissecting the poem’s themes and the rich tapestry of literary devices employed, one gains a profound appreciation for McWatt’s craft and the timeless questions he poses about good, evil, and the intricate dance between humanity and its shadows. The Ol’ Higue, in her reluctant immortality, continues to challenge our perceptions, ensuring that her story, and the fears she embodies, will never truly die.