Poetry Criticism | Brown, Sterling Allen - Angela E. Chamblee (essay date March 1993)

Angela E. Chamblee (essay date March 1993)

SOURCE: Chamblee, Angela E. “Slim's Heaven and Hell.” CLA Journal 36, no. 3 (March 1993): 339-42.

[In the following essay, Chamblee elucidates Brown's conception of Heaven and Hell in his poem “Slim in Hell.”]

There are many definitions of the word heaven. Heaven can be the repository of the ideals of all that is good in life. Heaven can be the stars in the sky. There can be heaven on earth, and the kingdom of heaven can be within.

Hell too can be on earth, and Hell can be in one's mind. In Sterling Brown's poem “Slim in Hell,” Heaven is not a solemn, ethereal place, nor is Hell exclusively an abode of torture and pain. Both Heaven and Hell are variations on everyday life. Ultimately, Slim's mind—his consciousness—determines his Heaven and Hell.

The Heaven of “Slim in Hell” does not seem to be a reverent, pious place. Slim calls St. Peter “Pete.” St....

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