To Elsie

“To Elsie” begins with what seems to be a marketing slogan—“The pure products of America” (Line 1), which sets up a false expectation for the reader; it’s quickly discarded as the rest of the short first stanza makes it clear that the idea is attributed to a group of people rather than showroom appliances. This gives the poem a feeling of pointed irony about the relationship between humanity and fashionable consumer trends. The poem makes heavy use of enjambment, with each line being only a few words long and creating a sense of disjointed, erratic observation on behalf of the speaker. In spite of this, however, the shape maintains a consistent and controlled pattern of a short snapshot line sandwiched between two smaller ones.

The speaker immediately presents a fractured vision of an early 20th-century rural America populated by hard-luck, working class men and desperate young women. There is a clear transactional quality to the way these people view the world; not only is there an overtone of consumer trends, but they view each other—and even themselves—as commodities. The women adorn themselves, thinking their clothes and accessories will bring them a sense of validation and perhaps the financial security of a marriage.