# To the East and to the West explained — Leaves of Grass

> Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

## What happens

The speaker addresses people from all regions of America, expressing a vision of perfect trust and friendship as the foundational purpose of the United States, a latent bond waiting to be realized in all people.

## Themes in this chapter

### Comradeship and Love

The chapter explicitly states that the main purpose of the States is to found a 'superb friendship, exaltè, previously unknown,' emphasizing comradeship as a national ideal.

### America and Its People

The speaker addresses people from the Seaside State, Pennsylvania, the Kanadian north, and the Southerner, celebrating the diverse regions of America.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who addresses the diverse peoples of America with trust and love.

### America

The nation whose main purpose is to found a superb friendship among its people.

## Key lines

> To the East and to the West, To the man of the Seaside State and of Pennsylvania, To the Kanadian of the north, to the Southerner I love

I address people from all directions and regions—the East, the West, the coastal states, Pennsylvania, Canada, and the South—and I love them all.

_The speaker inclusively names various American regions to emphasize a unified national identity._

> I believe the main purport of these States is to found a superb friendship, exaltè, previously unknown

I believe the primary purpose of these United States is to establish an elevated, unprecedented bond of friendship.

_This line articulates the central theme of comradeship as the nation's highest calling._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/to-the-east-and-to-the-west
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters