# Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun explained — Leaves of Grass

> Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

## What happens

The speaker oscillates between a desire for rural solitude and natural beauty and an irrepressible attachment to the vibrant, tumultuous life of the city, ultimately embracing the human faces and streets of Manhattan over the quiet of nature.

## Themes in this chapter

### Individuality and Self

The speaker's internal conflict and ultimate self-reversal highlight the theme of personal identity and choice.

### Celebration of Nature and the Universe

The opening stanza celebrates natural beauty, from the sun to fields and stars.

### America and Its People

The poem's embrace of Manhattan's crowds, soldiers, and streets embodies Whitman's celebration of American urban life.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker expresses conflicting desires for solitude and city life, ultimately choosing the urban experience.

### America

Manhattan and its streets symbolize the American urban experience and the nation's collective life.

### Comradeship and Love

The speaker yearns for 'comrades and lovers by the thousand' in the city.

## Key lines

> Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling

Grant me the magnificent, quiet sun shining brightly.

_The speaker initially longs for the peace and beauty of nature._

> Give me faces and streets—give me these phantoms incessant and endless along the trottoirs!

Give me the endless parade of people and streets—these constant, fleeting figures on the sidewalks!

_The speaker reverses his earlier plea, now craving the dynamic energy of the city._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/give-me-the-splendid-silent-sun
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters