Epidermal Macabre
Indelicate is he who loathes
The aspect of his fleshy clothes,
The flying fabric stitched on bone,
The vesture of the skeleton,
The garment neither fur nor hair,
The cloak of evil and despair,
The veil long violated by
Caresses of the hand and eye.
Yet such is my unseemliness:
I hate my epidermal dress,
The savage blood's obscenity,
The rags of my anatomy,
And willingly would I dispense
With false accouterments of sense,
To sleep immodestly, a most
Incarnadine and carnal ghost.
by Theodore Roethke
Interpretation: The narrator first begins by telling the reader that one should not hate the physical parts of the body, the skeleton and its skin. He gives us incite on his mental condition by revealing his thoughts and feelings on what the "cloak" hides within, "evil and despair." He has observed and lost patience with the carnal side of humanity. Loosing faith, he contradicts himself and states, "I hate my epidermal dress." Contemplating suicide, he reveals his desire to willingly give up his body and internal conflict, trading his current life conditions with that of the life of a human like ghost. -R.J. Roethke
Interpretation: In this poem Theodore Roethke seems to be frustrated by the fact that he is stuck inside of his own skin. In the first two lines, “Indelicate is he who loathes the aspect of his fleshy clothes,” he dislikes it so much that he would rather die and become a “carnal ghost” just to free him of his “epidermal dress.” His skin is littered with sin and memories of the obscene things he has done in his life. He has been violated by “caresses of the hand and eye” he calls it “the rags of my anatomy.” Theodore dealt with depression throughout his life and it is reflected in much of his poetry, Epidermal Macabre is a a fine example. -MSM
Interpretation: Epidermal Macabre by Theodore Roethke is a personification of self-loathing. The title “Epidermal Macabre,” interpreted to “The Outer Layer of Death” suggests we make most of our judgment based on our outer appearance and initial conclusions. In lines 2 to 6 Roethke personifies this outer layer as clothing and garments that are forever part of us. Lines 7 and 8 reading, “The veil long violated by caresses of the hand and eye”, suggest that human’s long admiration for physical appearance is a big factor affecting how we view ourselves as people. The rest of the poem, lines 10 to 16 describes the speaker’s attitude toward his own epidermal covering. The speaker goes on to say, “The savage blood’s obscenity, the rags of my anatomy.” This part refers to the negative effect his self-loathing left behind; his rags or torn up self-concepts are all he has left. In lines 12 to 14 the speaker expresses his willingness to give up these subjective concepts of himself. The last two lines, “To sleep immodesty, a most incarnadine and carnal ghost,” may be referring to the speaker’s dream for a new epidermal, one that masks his current perceptions. -CDB
