Interpretation_of_Gerald_Manley_Hopkins_“Thou_Art_Indeed_Just,_Lord”

Interpretation of Gerald Manley Hopkins “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” Imagine being a Jesuit Priest, giving everything to the God you serve, and then when you’ve given all you know how to give, feeling so empty so frustrated with God that you are compelled to argue with the very God you vowed poverty, chastity and obedience to in order to receive personal success. Such is the driving force in the sonnet, “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” written in 1889 by a Jesuit Priest by the name of Gerald Manley Hopkins. To better interpret this poem, it is important to look into the background of the man who wrote it. Historians have said that Gerald Manley Hopkins had “a profoundly mystical nature.” He believed in total obedience to the Word of God and to the will of his spiritual superiors. Hopkins was also said to be an intellectual man, a brilliant student who had left Oxford with a first class honors degree, yet failed his final theology exam. As a man of intellect, Hopkins must have been greatly disappointed in his ability to pass his final theology exams. Hopkins did not give in to failure; instead he gave more of his self to his Jesuit training. The training to become a Jesuit priest spanned over ten years. It was a rigorous demanding profession that left him isolated. Isolation was the catalyst for Hopkins state of deep spiritual depression, or what is sometimes known by researchers as the "dark night of the soul". As an artist, a Poet to be exact, and a man of God, Hopkins was in conflict with his intellect and his devolution to his God. He lived away from his home country of England and focused on the work of teaching, which he did not enjoy nor was he very successful at. Hopkins also worked on missionary work and sharing the Word of God, which he was not very successful at. He did enjoy writing Poetry, and his contributions, while rare have changed the form of poetry. Hopkins conviction to the teachings of Jesuitism caused him to suffer much internal conflict. Hopkins felt strongly that his artistic soul was a direct violation of his spiritual vows. This dilemma was settled by his decision to never publish his poems. Yet even as Hopkins made this decision, he felt that he had failed both his God and himself. The state of religious affairs in Dublin, Ireland during the time Hopkins lived involved influencing and directing the social and moral lives of their members. Additionally the churches had a major impact on leisure time and intellectual activities. A Jesuit Priest had a heavy burden to fulfill. The burden of the social responsibility carried by the churches of his era, of which Hopkins was a part and Hopkins inability to find intrinsic fulfillment of his mission to God, inspired him, out of frustration to ask God why he could see the sinners receiving rewards and yet his own life seemed without recognition. In the italicized quote above the poem, the translation is: although God is just, the world created by Him is unjust, and Man can justly complain of it. This sets up the tone of the poem. In “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” Hopkins sense of not being rewarded while he sees the sinners “sots” or drunkards and the “thralls of lust” or prostitutes who seem to flourish, “Do in spare hours more thrive…” brought into question his relationship with God. Hopkins questions all the time he spends upon the training of a Jesuit priest with nothing to show for it “than I that spend/Sir, life upon thy cause.” This concept of personal gain for his service to God was counterintuitive to the profession he had chosen. Hopkins inability to recognize the personal and not so obvious blessings he had been bestowed with, intelligence, health, and perseverance caused him to fret over the visible rewards he saw in others, who were in fact in much more need than he. Hopkins was frustrated with his life, seemingly unfulfilled and empty due to his lack of personal success, yet he was able to witness to the sinners who appeared to reap the rewards offered by God, not because Hopkins hadn’t received any rewards, but because the sinners reception of rewards were so obvious. Hopkins puts up a good case in the octave for his argument. As Hopkins saw it, it was not just occasional disappointments, they are there for ‘all’ he endeavors. Meaning that everything Hopkins did was a disappointment. If God were his enemy, rather than his supposed friend, could the situation be worse' In the second part of the sonnet, Hopkins laments, “Birds build-but not I build“meaning birds build nests in which to breed, not that a poet would build a nest, but it was this visible result that showed the birds effort. Hopkins felt he had nothing to show for all his service and sacrifice to God. Taking a close look at the persona of the poem, and knowing something of Hopkins background, Hopkins is writing about himself. Hopkins is addressing God, asking him what about me' Why haven’t I been given the rewards that you have given to the drunkards and the promiscuous' Hopkins sees God as his Lord, but as the same time as his father, or his friend. Hopkins has great love and respect for God, but since he feels close to God as a son might feel towards his father; Hopkins feels that he deserves more. The suggestion that God treats the sinners better than he treats a man who has given his entire life to the devotion of Godly endeavors is perplexing to Hopkins and had caused him much frustration. The rhyming scheme suggests a Petrarchan sonnet. In traditional Italian sonnets there is an octave and a sestet. The octave is usually divided at the eighth line by a space before the sestet. In “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” the division between the octave and sestet occurs well into the ninth line. It is at this point where the tone changes. The octave is a discussion with God and the sestet is a metaphorical comparison of Hopkins to flora and fauna that flourish under God’s rain, while Hopkins is unable to flourish at anything he attempts. He is “Time’s eunuch”. Time’s eunuch is metaphorical and refers to Hopkins as being unable to enlighten people with his words of wisdom, "breed one work that wakes". If only he were able to speak the words that give people inspiration to seek more. If this were so he would know success. In the final line Hopkins says, “Mine, O lord of life, send my roots rain.” Using roots that need rain is a reference to Jeremiah 12. Jeremiah is asking God why the sinners have taken root and grown. In this plea to God, Hopkins asks for his roots or creativity to take root and grow, giving him success. Placing stressors on; ‘mine’, ‘lord’, ‘life’, ‘send’, ‘roots’ and ‘rain’, emphasize his frustration. Out of frustration and suffering, Hopkins asks God to help him in a final plea. By asking for rain, Hopkins is asking God for renewal, rejuvenation, and life in his sermons. Throughout “Thou art Indeed Just, Lord” Hopkins refers to nature: “banks and brakes” are references to the banks of creeks or rivers where foliage grows;”leaved how thick” refers to the vitality and lushness of the foliage; “fretty chervil” refers to herbs that are criss-crossed over the landscape; “wind” that blows across the land; and birds. Nature is a creation of God and it thrives. The sinners are a creation of God and they prosper. Hopkins is a creation of God and he suffers. What Hopkins wants is an answer to the argument in Jeremiah twelve, why do bad things happen to good people and why do good things happen to bad people' As a Christian, Hopkins understood that he could ask for clarification from God on these matters. Hopkins knew he could ask, or beg for God to assist him personally so long as he did not challenge God. As a scholar, Hopkins desired to know the literate meaning of God’s will. But in his quest for a deeper understanding Hopkins was oblivious to God’s answer Hopkins starts out in the discussion, focusing on the sinners, but he soon gets to the real concern--the problem isn’t the sinner’s outward appearance of fulfillment by the grace of God, it is his own inability to be visibly successful. His heartfelt prayer for rain in the final line represents his need for God’s acceptance. Hopkins is asking to be blessed with success. Hopkins was blessed with intelligence, spirituality and yet his personal successes were not recognizable. Hopkins internal conflict and his denial of his heart’s desire, poetry made him miserable. Hopkins misery was self induced. God did accept him for what he was and did not intend for Hopkins to be miserable, but in Hopkins view, the way to fulfillment was to have God’s recognition and acceptance of Hopkins by showering him with success. In God’s view the way to success was through suffering and then enlightenment would follow. By not giving Hopkins success, God was in a way saying, stop asking for success, and focus on the vows you made to become a priest, in doing that you will find success. Hopkins was so busy looking for success that he could not see he had already achieved success.