Introduction to A Noiseless Patient Spider
The most prominent American poets, Walt Whitman always tried to ponder over the life and the nature. One of his poems, which is a quiet meditative, written in the 1860s is “A Noiseless Patient Spider”. In just ten lines, Whitman draws an analogy between a spider and the human soul, as well as the idea that both of them are connected with a spider’s web and the need to belong. The poem, for this reason, is often analyzed in relation to the transcendentalist philosophy that characterized the period in which Whitman lived in, and this philosophy held that there is a deep relation between the physical and the spiritual realms of existence and that the universe and all its creations are sacred.
In this article, we will consider the main themes of “A Noiseless Patient Spider” and analzse how the poem’s main symbol – the spider – can be used to discuss the main concerns of the human being. The particular aspects of the poem to reveal the multiple meanings that are hidden beneath the surface of the work by Whitman will also be discussed.
Themes in “A Noiseless Patient Spider”
Theme#1
Isolation and Loneliness
Isolation and loneliness is the key theme in the poem. In the poem, the writer paints a picture of a spider, that is described as ‘noiseless’ and ‘patient’ and it is depicted as a lonely creature that is spending most of its time spinning its web in hope of getting a connection.
This image can be easily associated with the concept of the human soul as an entity that is stranded, longing for a connection to the world and people around it in a big and often hostile cosmos.
Whitman presents this theme in the opening lines of the poem:
“A noiseless patient spider,
I mark’d where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark’d how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch’d forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.” (Lines 1-5)
The isolation of the spider is underlined by its position on a “little promontory”, a small piece of land that stretches into the emptiness. This physical isolationism is an echo of the emotional and existential isolation that the spider and, thus, the human soul undergoes.
The recurrence of the term ‘filament’ and the depiction of the spider as an entity that spins ‘ever unreeling’ them encapsulates the effort of trying to establish a connection with the world and the failure to do so. The spider’s struggle is slow and diligent and, although it may achieve its goal, there is still no assurance of it, which is a reflection of the vulnerability and isolation of the human experience.
Theme#2
The Search for Connection
Another theme in the poem is the search of connection. Although the spider is lonely, it is not altogether inert; it ‘reaches out’ to something in the ‘vacant vast surrounding.’ This is reminiscent of man’s soul and its drive to ‘connect’ to something meaningful in the world.
Whitman continues to describe this theme in the second stanza:
“And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.” (Lines 6-10)
In these lines, Whitman directly communicates to the soul, and makes a direct comparison between the actions of spider and the activity of the soul aspiring for connectivity. The soul is said to be ‘set’ and placed in ‘measureless oceans of space,’ which carries the image of loneliness in the vastness of the world.
However, similar to the spider, the soul is ‘musing, venturing, throwing, seeking’ – all the verbs that describe the actions of a working bee, who does not stop as long as it is alive. The actions are reiterated to give a signal of continuous search thus implying that the soul is always in search of its position in the universe.
The image of ‘bridge’ and a ‘ductile anchor’ accentuates the notion of connection. Essentially, the soul tries to create a bridge – a steady connection – to something that is outside the self. The term used to describe them as connections is ‘the gossamer thread’ , which literally means thin and weak as a cobweb, meaning that the connections they intended to hold are frail.
Nevertheless, the soul remains eternal and keeps throwing the string of the shuttle “and perhaps it will catch somewhere.” This is an abounding desire to connect with something, even in the face of uncertainty and potential failure.
See also: Themes in She Walks in Beauty
Theme#3
The Infinite and the Unknown
Another significant theme in “A Noiseless Patient Spider” is the infinite and the unknown. Whitman employs symbolism of a vast, empty space to convey the daunting nature of the infinite presumption that the spider, and by extension, the human soul, must contend with.
This theme is related to the main existential issues that appear when a person thinks about the wideness of the universe and the position of the human being in it.
Describing the spider’s environment as a “vacant vast surrounding” and the soul as being “in measureless oceans of space”, the writer tries to convey vastness of the universe, and the unknown space, which the spider and the soul have to exist in.
The adjectives ‘measureless’ underscores the fact that these spaces cannot really be measured or known and thus embraces the obscurity and the uncertainty that define the human experience.
The striving of the soul to ‘seek the spheres to connect them’ also refers to vagueness, as spheres can be regarded as distant, unapproachable objects that the soul tries to join. The concept of ‘search for the spheres’ means the search for something like the desire to know and to comprehend the infinite and the unknown.
But equally the poem offers no guarantee that these links will be established, and the soul’s journey will be successful. However, Whitman leaves the reader with the image of the soul “ceaselessly” striving, which suggests that the search for meaning is an ongoing and never ending process.
Theme#4
Perseverance and Hope
In the poem, there is also a message of perseverance and hope. Although the spider’s attempts are rather hopeless, one can sense that it is devoted to its task. This is evidential of the fact that human beings are able to keep struggling regardless of their circumstances.
The spider is termed as ‘noiseless’ and ‘patient; that depict a determined action or personality. The fact that it “ever tirelessly” sends out it’s filaments, despite the cold infinity that encloses it, is a profound resourcefulness.
This persistence is reflected in the striving of the soul that is trying to communicate as it is illustrated in the second stanza. The soul is ‘venturing’ and ‘seeking’ which are optimistically connoted words given the conditions it encounters.
Another optimistic nuance can be traced with the help of the “bridge” and the “ductile anchor”. The soul posits that the ‘bridge’ required will be ‘form’d some day and the ‘anchor’ will ‘hold’, which reflects a belief in the possibility of connection and stability.
If the ‘gossamer thread,’ however thin and delicate it may be, is thrown out into the dark, it is done with the understanding that it will ‘catch somewhere.’ This optimism is not innocent; it is, instead, experienced. However, it is a hope that is present and the reason that both a spider with a soul and the soul itself keeps on moving.
Theme#5
The Interconnectedness of Life
The last theme of the poem is the interconnectedness of life. Whitman, in an attempt to compare the spider to himself offers an explanation that all organisms are tied together like strings within a web, though often the relationships cannot be explicitly seen.
The action of the spider spinning the web is thus presented as an action typical for all living beings – including the people.
The image of the ‘filament’ and the ‘gossamer thread’ shows that these links can be easily snapped and yet they are some of the most vital to the survival of the spider. Similarly, the human soul’s ties to other people and the environment are tenuous, but they are essential to the individual’s existence.
Spider’s web although is made from different strings is a combined and well integrated structure that the spider uses to move around and feed. This can be considered as an allegory of the manner in which human lives are linked together and form a single whole.
See also: Themes & Poetic Devices in The Lady of Shalott
Poetic Devices Used in “A Noiseless Patient Spider”
- Alliteration – The repetition of consonant sounds like “soul” and “isolated” produces the flow.
- Rhyme – Although there is no perfect rhyme in the poem, however, the rhymes like “soul” and “sole” create rhythm.
- Symbolism – The spider embodies the soul searching for connections.
- Imagery – Visual details like the spider launching its filament reflect the activity in an evocative manner.
- Metaphor – The spider filament and soul’s filament are metaphors, which explore and seek meaning.
- Personification – The soul is attributed the human action of “seeking” something greater.
- Enjambment – Lines break mid-clause to connect ideas, like the spider’s activity.
- Assonance – The repetition of vowel sounds in the words, such as “isolate” and “launch’d” forms internal rhyme.
- Consonance – Shared consonant sounds in the words, such as “surrounded” and “soundless” add to the melodic effect.
- Anaphora – It begins lines with “O” to stress the solitary seeking.
See also: Themes in Fahrenheit 451
