“Song of the Broad-Axe” expresses Walt Whitman’s fundamental ideas and his basic means of poetic expression through the use of complex symbolism. Initially the broadaxe signifies the constructive and creative spirit of the pioneers, their great zest and initiative, which led to the opening of the West in America. But it also implies and embodies the processes of mystic evolution. This evolution will ultimately assert the supremacy of good over evil. Individuality is the hallmark of man in Whitman’s view, and yet he believes man to be part of the vast mass of mankind. This view of man extends to Whitman’s notion of America and the American. The symbol of the broadaxe thus becomes the symbol of the growth and development of American society and of America, which is multifarious and yet a single nation. The broadaxe exemplifies the unity in diversity which is a significant quality of American society. It also symbolizes the mystic growth of man which inspires and sustains him and civilization in general.
The broadaxe is introduced in the first section. It is a “shapely” weapon, “naked,” and pale. Its head is derived from the bowels of Mother Earth. Its wood is likened to limb and flesh. The axe is leaning on the grass: “To be lean’d and to lean on” are its primary functions.
The broadaxe is the principal image throughout this dramatic poem, and its various aspects are presented in quick succession. It is first seen as a physical object. It has the shape of a weapon. Next, it is given a human identity as it is linked to its “ mother’s bowels.” Third, the axe is identified with nature, as its head is compared to a leaf. The reference to “head” implies human attributes, too -specifically, the power of thought.
In the second section the poet extends his welcome to “all earth’s lands” of whatever kind—lands whereon grow the pine, oak, lemon, fig, wheat, or grape. The lands which produce cotton are as welcome as those which yield potatoes. The “lands of mines” are also welcome; it is they which yield the ore to produce the axe. This description of the diversity of lands stresses the relationship between the axe and the earth. The earth is desolate in part, but the axe is always creative. The poet also repeats the principle of unity in diversity in his description of various types of lands. Some lands are productive while others are desolate and barren, yet all are parts of the earth. All the lands share in the poet’s all-inclusive vision.
The third section of the poem tells of the many uses of the broadaxe. The axe helps man to build a “sylvan hut” and to get “the space clear’d for a garden.” And it also builds cities. It represents a beginning, “the outset anywhere,” the spirit of those “who sought a New England and found it.” It is of use to “the butcher in the slaughter-house, the hands aboard schooners,” and the “lumbermen in their winter camp.” The poet describes a house being built, ships being built, and “the blazing fire at night” being enjoyed—all because of the axe. The poet describes how the broadaxe is made. Then he talks about the past, when primitive workers used the axe for building and when soldiers used it in combat. The broadaxe was used in the sack and seige of cities in ancient times. It symbolized “the hell of war, the cruelties of creeds,” and the lust for power among men.
The “Song of the Broad-Axe” reveals Whitman’s concept of mystic evolution. In this mystical process, good is mixed with evil, but good will triumph ultimately. The broadaxe is associated with the elements of darkness, but ultimately the spirit of the pioneers which it represents will assert itself.
This third section is a fine example of Whitman’s use of the catalog; in a series of pictures, a pageant of users and uses of the axe is presented. The poet’s intention is to demonstrate “the beauty of all adventurous and daring persons”-the ordinary people who built this country. Whitman’s ability to paint word pictures is revealed in the diversity of the scenes describing these workmen, scenes in which he includes both past and present. The uses of the broadaxe are destructive as well as constructive. “The crash and cut away of connecting wood-work” shows the destructive use of the axe (in this case, firefighting); in addition, ancient warriors used the axe as a weapon. But whether it is used to create or destroy, the axe is effective essentially because it sets the world of action in motion and in this way participates in the mystic evolution of the universe.
Section 4 celebrates “muscle and pluck forever.” These are the sources of power behind the action of the axe. Whitman asks rhetorical questions: “What do you think endures?” Do great cities, manufacturing states, constitutions, or armaments endure? The answer is that these are not important in themselves and will not endure unless they are expressions of “personal qualities.” The whole world is a show and “the show passes.” Only the city that is great, “which has the greatest men and women”—even if it consists only of ragged huts—that city will be “the greatest city in the whole world.”
In this section there is a shift of emphasis from the material to the spiritual. Action “invigorates life,” but it also “invigorates death.” The axe is not even mentioned in this section, but it is indirectly associated with physical action. Physical action and spiritual vigor are interlinked and are both forms of human endeavor. The poet’s view that “the living” and “the dead” advance in their own way shows the mystic progression of time and the unfolding of evolution. What endures is the action of great men and women. It is only the great (symbolized by the spirit of the broadaxe) who give meaning and spiritual significance to actions and events in this world.
