Spoon River Anthology · Chapter
Jacob Godbey explained
Jacob Godbey, from beyond the grave, addresses the libertarians of Spoon River who championed saloon culture as the embodiment of liberty.
What happens
Jacob Godbey, from beyond the grave, addresses the libertarians of Spoon River who championed saloon culture as the embodiment of liberty. He questions their hypocrisy, recalling how they nearly stoned him for his moral opposition while they themselves never truly experienced the wholesome joys they claimed to defend. After his death, he observes that their goddess Liberty was revealed as a prostitute, selling out the town to distant saloon interests. Godbey concludes that true personal liberty is of the mind, not the belly.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Corruption
Godbey accuses the libertarians of hypocrisy, claiming they never truly experienced the joys they defended, and that their ideal of Liberty was a prostitute selling out the town.
Illusion vs. Reality
The chapter contrasts the illusion of liberty found in saloons with the reality of personal liberty as freedom of the mind, unmasking the former as a false goddess.
Characters to notice
- Benjamin Pantier
Addressed directly by Jacob Godbey as one of the libertarians who almost stoned him for his moral stance.
Key passages
“How did you feel, you libertarians, Who spent your talents rallying noble reasons Around the saloon, as if Liberty Was not to be found anywhere except at the bar Or at a table, guzzling?”
Godbey asks the self-proclaimed libertarians how they felt after using their skills to justify drinking in saloons, as if freedom could only be found in alcohol.
Highlights the central accusation of misplaced values.
“How did you feel after I was dead and gone, And your goddess, Liberty, unmasked as a strumpet, Selling out the streets of Spoon River To the insolent giants Who manned the saloons from afar?”
After Godbey's death, the libertarians' ideal of Liberty was revealed to be a prostitute, betraying Spoon River to outside saloon owners.
Reveals the corruption behind the libertarian cause.
“Did it occur to you that personal liberty Is liberty of the mind, Rather than of the belly?”
Godbey asks if they ever realized that true personal freedom is intellectual, not physical or indulgent.
Summarizes the chapter's philosophical argument.