At the core of "i was sitting in mcsorley’s" lies a profound inquiry into the power of language to truly encapsulate reality. Cummings entwines vivid imagery with a daring syntax, crafting not a straightforward snapshot of McSorley’s saloon, but rather a tapestry of sentiments and personal perceptions. This emotional tapestry unfurls through a cascade of vivid images that defy any semblance of spatial order or storytelling structure. Such a style results in an impressionistic portrayal of the saloon, where nothing stands sharply defined or easily recognizable.

This hazy depiction comes to life in the opening lines of the second stanza, where cummings writes, “the slobbering walls filthily push witless creases of screaming warmth chuck pillows are noise funnily swallows.” Here, the physical world is captured in a manner that hints at language’s role not merely as a tool for labeling reality, but as a means to interrogate it. By spotlighting language’s limitations in offering an objective view, cummings invites readers to reflect on their own connections with words and the entities they represent.

In this poem, language acts more like a prism than a mere window, suggesting that when readers accept their place within this prism, they become co-creators in the poet’s portrayal of the world as he envisions it.

Cummings' Unique Perspective

Cummings has long been celebrated as a poet who harbors disdain for the masses while cherishing the individual soul. This dichotomy is vividly apparent throughout his poem, where he paints McSorley’s as a veritable underworld filled with grotesque, otherworldly patrons. The saloon is depicted as a den of "evil," with "slobbering walls" and "witless creases" that emphasize its sinister aura. The patrons are equally unflattering in their portrayal. One is described with "a bald greenish foetal head," while another appears as "a vast wordless nondescript genie of trunk."

Contrast with the World Outside

Beyond the confines of the saloon's gloom, the world flourishes as "New York and beautifully snowing," underscoring the stark contrast between human society and the natural world. The speaker unveils his own disdain for humanity, encapsulated in the phrase “this instant of semiluminous nausea.” The poem leaves us with a haunting image of a bar teeming with emotionally and spiritually marred individuals who find solace in "snugandevil" drinking, indulging their basest instincts.

The purity and innocence of nature, symbolized by the gently falling snow, serve as a biting reminder that goodness exists, though it remains largely inaccessible to humanity.