Job the Rejected by Edwin Arlington Robinson
A penitent man overcomes a woman’s distrust and fear, and they marry. Job, expecting the marriage to ruin what is sacred between them, gives the husband half a year to “wreck the temple.” The husband struggles hungrily to restore a fallen altar, while the woman plans to disappear. That evening Job finds him in the dust. Though Job would object to feeding a sacred fire in such a destructive way, the fire is already dying, and Job is neither able to protest in time nor, apparently, the fulfillment of the woman’s deepest desire.
By Edwin Arlington Robinson · First published 1910 · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Tragic Poetry, Psychological Poetry · 136 words
First lines
THEY met, and overwhelming her distrust
With penitence, he praised away her fear; / They married, and Job gave him half a year
To wreck the temple, as we knew he must.
He fumbled hungrily to readjust
What this Textopian page supports
Job the Rejected is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson, dated 1910 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: 1910 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Tragic Poetry, Psychological Poetry, Dramatic Monologue / Dramatic Poetry, Sonnet
- Length: 136 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Job the Rejected by Edwin Arlington Robinson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The sonnet recounts a compact sequence of events: a marriage, the husband's failed attempt to restore a damaged relationship, the wife's departure, and Job's belated response.
- Tragic Poetry — Its plot culminates in emotional and relational ruin, emphasizing disappointment, abandonment, and the futility of attempted reconciliation.
- Psychological Poetry — The work focuses on distrust, penitence, fear, desire, rejection, and the characters' inward motives rather than external action.
- Dramatic Monologue / Dramatic Poetry — Though narrated in the third person, the poem presents characters through compressed dramatic situation, implied conflict, and emotionally charged action.
Tags
narrative poetry · biblical reinterpretation · modernist literature · philosophical drama · religious themes · suffering · faith · doubt · divine justice · existential crisis · alienation · psychological conflict