Tasker Norcross

“The Three Taverns: A Book of Poems” by Edwin Arlington Robinson includes the poem “Tasker Norcross”, a narrative that unfolds through a dialogue mainly between the speaker and a character named Ferguson. The poem opens with a reflection on the types of people inhabiting a town, categorized into three groups: the good, the not-so-good, and Tasker Norcross, a figure who seems to exist outside these classifications due to his unique nature, eventually leading to the assertion that now only two types remain, implying Norcross’s departure from life.

Ferguson, who has philosophized about life and its people, shares his thoughts on Norcross, a man distinguished by his difference and perceived lack of humanity. Norcross’s home is described vividly, presenting it as an old, white, box-like structure surrounded by too many trees, situated in a landscape consisting of a road, railroad, river, hills, and more trees. This setting serves as a metaphor for Norcross’s isolation and the public’s detached curiosity about him, hinting at a life observed from a distance but not deeply understood or engaged with.

Norcross’s life is depicted as one of profound isolation and disconnection, not just from the community but also from the experiences that define human joy and suffering. He possesses wealth but lacks the joy of interaction and contribution that comes from sharing it meaningfully. His existence is painted as a cycle of knowing and not-knowing, seeing without understanding, and living without experiencing, a state that Ferguson argues is worse than not living at all. Norcross is portrayed as a man who, aware of the world’s beauty and complexity, is trapped in his incapacity to connect with it, leading to a life devoid of fulfillment and purpose.

The dialogue shifts to explore themes of perception, value, and the essence of life, contrasting the mundane and the profound, the seen and the unseen. Norcross’s inability to derive pleasure from art, music, and other forms of beauty highlights his disconnection from the essential human experiences that give life meaning. The narrative concludes with a reflection on the paradox of knowing too much and too little at the same time, suggesting that Norcross’s tragedy lies not in his physical circumstances but in his existential isolation, his soul’s inability to sing with the ‘kings of song’ or to see the world as anything more than a desert of monotony.

Through “Tasker Norcross,” Robinson delves into existential themes, exploring the depths of human loneliness, the quest for meaning, and the tragic beauty of life viewed from the periphery of understanding and connection.