Hurt Hawks (Themes)

Themes

Flesh Vs. Spirit

The speaker of the poem, used to living in a world of poverty and war, thinks of the bird as something spiritual, belonging to the air, now trapped in a physical world where broken wings and pain exists. The dramatic situation of the poem — a hawk fallen from the air, condemned to limp on the ground and “live with famine” — may suggest a transition from the freedom of the spirit world to the weakness and morality of the flesh. Now the bird can only imagine flying, his dream disrupted each morning by the harsh reality of dawn. Despite his appreciation and respect for the animal, the narrator realizes that he must do the right thing, that is, release the hawk from its misery and dependence on humans. After giving the bird death in the form of a bullet, or “lead gift,” the narrator sees the spirit “unsheathed” from the flesh, soaring in a “fierce rush,” leaving the physical remains behind.

God and Religion

“Hurt Hawks” employs much language with religious connotations. Some examples include “salvation,” “redeemer,” “God,” “mercy,” and “unsheathed from reality.” The narrator also implies that the hawk’s spirit rises from the corpse after death. Furthermore, the injured bird is said to stand under the “oak-bush” waiting for salvation, an image that might remind some readers of Jesus Christ on the cross on Calvary. Jeffers, whose father was a theology professor, possessed considerable knowledge of Christianity and Roman mythology, which he drew upon for his poetic images. However, Jeffers used religious themes for his own purposes, in unusual ways. The narrator’s commentary in “Hurt Hawks” appears to support the ideas of religious primitivism and pantheism. Primitivism cherishes the simple life close to nature. Pantheism, which can be viewed as complementary to primitivism, equates God with the forces and laws of the universe. Considering this, we understand how Jeffers might refer to death or nature as the “wild God of the world,” or how he can claim to value the life of a hawk over that of a human being. These beliefs are consistent with his philosophy of inhumanism.

Nature and Its Meaning

Jeffers wrote so often and so vividly about the natural world he became known as a “California landscape painter.” In “Hurt Hawks” Jeffers uses observations of an injured bird to explore larger questions about nature. Note that nature dominates the poem, with no intrusions of buildings, cars, or humans, other than the narrator. The inhabitants of this world are birds of prey, cats, coyotes, curs, game, and herons. Of paramount importance in this realm are the primal physical sensations of pain, misery, famine, and torment. It is to this primitive world that the hawk belongs, a world where wildness and savagery are required for survival, and where death is the “wild God.” Humans have protected themselves from nature by becoming “communal.” In doing so, they have lost self-sufficiency, awareness of mortality, and appreciation for nature. The narrator knows that if he continues feeding the hawk, enabling it to live as long as it is in his care, he is doing it no favor. The hawk is a wild animal that must live in nature or die. Unlike humans, it cannot compromise its essence.