Aaron Stark by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Aaron Stark is portrayed as a gaunt, unkempt, miserly, and morose man whose sharp features, pinched mouth, and snarling speech make him seem harsh and animal-like. He moves through the town year after year as a loveless exile, carrying a staff and taking grim satisfaction in his feared reputation. Although people regard him with pity and even tears, he laughs only when he hears that pity, suggesting that their compassion is the one response he finds satisfying.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1897 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Character Study, Psychological Poetry · 149 words
First lines
WITHAL a meagre man was Aaron Stark, / Cursed and unkempt, shrewd, shrivelled, and morose.
A miser was he, with a miser's nose, / And eyes like little dollars in the dark.
His thin, pinched mouth was nothing but a mark;
And when he spoke there came like sullen blows
What this Textopian page supports
Aaron Stark is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1897 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Date: 1897 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Character Study, Psychological Poetry, Social Realism, Dramatic Monologue-Adjacent Poetry
- Length: 149 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Aaron Stark by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The work is a compact poetic portrait that narrates Aaron Stark's public life, appearance, reputation, and unsettling response to pity through vivid verse.
- Character Study — Its principal concern is the severe psychological and physical depiction of Aaron Stark as a miserly, isolated, bitter man.
- Psychological Poetry — The poem emphasizes Stark's inner alienation, resentment, and perverse pleasure in receiving pity from others.
- Social Realism — It portrays a recognizable small-town social environment in which Stark is defined by his hard reputation and the community's fearful, pitying judgment.
Tags
poetry · narrative poem · American literature · New England · poverty · isolation · alienation · psychological portrait · melancholy · social marginalization · rural life · old age