Many Red Devils

Many red devils . . .
Stephen Crane
Many red devils ran from my heart
And out upon the page.
They were so tiny the pen could mash them.
And many struggled in the ink.
It was strange
To write in this red muck
Of things from my heart.

Well we’ve all read little of Crane’s writing, and this is another of his poems which I, after having to go through some interpretation, have grown to love. I believe the theme of the poem to be that writing, more specifically poetry, is a method or mending heart break.

Crane brings the image of devils, specifically red (either to represent rage, or love, or some other deep emotion, which run across the page. Then he uses words like mash, struggle, and muck to describe the way in which his writing has freed him of these demons. That even by the end of the poem thay cease to be devils and are simply things from his heart.

This poem is strangely heart warming and I hope you like, and will comment on my analysis.