Poetry · Chapter
Perlun explained
A vivid portrait of Perlun, a youthful, sun-touched spirit shaped by Scandinavian winds, who navigates life with instinct and charm.
What happens
A vivid portrait of Perlun, a youthful, sun-touched spirit shaped by Scandinavian winds, who navigates life with instinct and charm. He moves through contrasting scenes—from tending to a syphilitic sailor to picking lemons in Los Angeles—while questioning how others perceive him, particularly the flappers of the wealthy.
Themes in this chapter
Alienation and Belonging
Perlun's life 'from other hands to mouth' and his question about being seen as a 'doll for anyone to pat' highlight his marginal position and search for authentic connection.
Childhood and Innocence
Perlun's 'pert blonde spirit' and 'adolescent oval ostrich egg' head evoke a youthful, almost naive quality, yet he is exposed to harsh realities like syphilis and poverty.
The Body and Mortality
The syphilitic sailor on his 'avoided death bunk' and the physical labor of picking lemons underscore themes of bodily decay and survival.
Characters to notice
- Perlun
The central figure, described as a 'whipper snapper child of the sun' with a pert blonde spirit, who experiences life through intuition and physical labor, and questions his role in the eyes of the wealthy.
Key passages
“Perlun the whipper snapper child of the sun His pert blonde spirit scoured by the Scandinavian Boreas”
Perlun is a lively, sun-like youth whose bright, blonde essence has been shaped by harsh northern winds.
Introduces Perlun as a figure of vitality tempered by a cold, Scandinavian environment.
“Holding in immaculate arms the syphilitic sailor on his avoided death bunk or the movie vamp among the muffled shadows of the shrubberies”
He tenderly cares for a sailor dying of syphilis or embraces a seductive film actress in hidden garden shadows.
Contrasts compassion with glamour, showing Perlun's range of encounters.
“Perlun asks “Do these flappers of the millionaires think I’m a doll for anyone to pat?””
Perlun wonders if wealthy young women see him as a mere plaything to be casually handled.
Reveals his insecurity about being objectified by the upper class.