According to Ken Burns’ 2019 docuseries, Country Music, famed 1950s songwriter Harlan Howard once stated “the essence of country music is three chords and the truth” (Burns 1:14:00). While the hitmaker’s quotation seems simple, it suggests something quite profound: that a universal applicability exists within music itself, and this is what draws diverse swathes of people, all with unique personal experiences, to listen and relate. After reading John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, all American classics in their own right, it becomes clear that said applicability applies more broadly to other means — means that are both creative and social in nature, such as poetry and storytelling. Not only do these representations possess a remarkable power to connect people, but also to regulate the human psyche through Aristototelian “catharsis” (Aristotle, Poetics). Across all three works, American identity is defined by a distinct correlation between hardship and unity, where new challenges are confronted by a diverse yet evermore blended populace through inherently social mediums such as art, music, and storytelling; Therefore, while the tragedies and those who face them are in perennial flux, the resultant oneness and growth remain constant features, expedited by these very cultural means.
Jeany Seely’s powerful recollections about fellow star Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces” mirror distinctly the emotions felt by Cannery Row’s residents during the second celebration of Doc, because they depict the ability of music and poetry to bring about both introspection and community. Seely describes her first listen, noting her disbelief that even a stranger “could write a song about how you feel” (Burns, Episode 4, 1:15:00). Thus, even though she was driving alone at the time, she was able to reflect and feel more secure in her thoughts, connecting her own experience with the themes presented in the melancholy tune. Doc’s refined means of trying to entertain his guests towards the end of Chapter 30 manifest a parallel result. When he plays Monteverdi, a renowned Italian classical musician, “the guests sat quietly and their eyes were inward” (Steinbeck 174). Moreover, when he proceeds to read a sorrowful poem to his fellow townsfolk, people are “openly weeping… dabb[ing] at their eyes… remembering a lost love.” What followed was described as a “sweet sadness” (Steinbeck 175). This further illustrates the healing effect of sound and spoken word, and the purging of emotions that can be evoked through them. The inhabitants of Cannery Row are far from homogenous, whether in gender, profession, age, perspective, or reputation. Phyllis Mae is a prostitute, Dora the owner of a brothel, Hazel an absent minded young vagrant, and Doc a middle-aged scientist. Yet, despite the markedly different lives they lead, all four are captivated by this cathartic, communally heard display. Simply put, such displays are popular, utile, and timeless because they serve to negate feelings of loneliness, inspire hope, and help us become more familiar with our fellow humans.
When one analyzes Janie’s parting conversation with her longtime confidante, Pheoby, it becomes clear that storytelling can serve a very similar purpose, since it too allows people to approach a state of contentment with their past. After returning to Eatonville, the protagonist brings the story full-circle, declaring that she is “satisfied… [having been] tuh de horizon and back” (Hurston 191); that despite having endured broken marriages with Logan and Jody, natural disaster in the form of a hurricane, the rabies-induced death of her beloved Tea Cake, and countless other struggles, she feels generally at peace. Throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God, it is implied through sheer frequency that storytelling is a catalyst which aids the individual in coming to terms with the toils of life. A similar comfort is evidently sought by creators and listeners of music, which justifies the success of songs like Stephen Foster’s Hard Times, the 1854 parlor number that opens the second episode of Ken Burns’ Country Music series. Its lyrics convey a pertinent message, that despite “hard times” and life’s “many tears,” people ought to “seek mirth and beauty and music, bright and gay” (Burns, Episode 2, 0:00:30). This soulful inclusion is followed by the narrator’s declaration that the “twin crises” of the Great Depression and the United States’ entry into World War II spurred country music to “grow in popularity” (Burns, Episode 2, 0:03:30). In other words, this supposition suggests that people became attracted to the genre because tragedy defined their existence for a considerable amount of time, and country music offered them a healthy, culturally enriching coping mechanism.
In the prologue of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the namesake protagonist reflects on his bygone experiences while Louis Armstrong’s “What Did I Do to be so Black and Blue” plays in the background, reflecting his willingness to map out his own identity as a black man in a time and place where this was being actively suppressed (Ellison 12). This entails a dark irony, that even though folks like Louis Armstrong rose to great prominence and popularity during the former half of the 20th century, most African Americans still felt painfully misunderstood and invisible. For instance, the narrator sees Armstrong’s work as “the invisible music of [his] isolation” (Ellison 13), a sentiment which in itself resembles those of black experience presented in the song. However, developments like the emergence of Jazz, and the rise of new country stars like Ray Charles and DeFord Bailey gradually broadened a sense of black identity, which simultaneously brought Americans of all races and backgrounds together as these genres progressively blended. The story of Charley Pride embodies this transformation. Shortly after being signed by Chet Atkins, he was permitted to release music, but this was done “without making any mentions of [his] race” (Burns, Episode 5, 1:03:00). Eventually, he was permitted to give a live performance in front of an audience of mostly proud, white southerners. Upon first sighting a “permanent[ly] tan” country singer, the crowd went silent, but was soon won over by his humor and musical talent (Burns, Episode 5, 1:04:50). Once again, this shows music’s utility in consolidating a firmer sense of identity, and in nullifying superficial judgement. Ergo, even something as destructive and visceral as widespread racism can be ameliorated over time, this amelioration made all the more rapid by creative development, which prompt realizations of universal and arbitrary suffering that breeds empathy across pre-existing divides.
Relying once more on the classical wisdom of Aristotle, it is indubitable that “humans are naturally social creatures” (Aristotle, Politics). There is a constant anthropological tension between establishing one’s own individuality (i.e. identity), and trying to feel a sense of collective belonging. This could represent a more specific conflict within the American Dream — that even though we are a society that prides itself on rugged individualism, which often (in its idealized form) hinges on a wish to be entirely self-made, even the strongest among us depend on others in some capacity as a means of orienting oneself. Displays with inherent, longstanding meaning such as art, poetry, and music have been fundamental parts of human culture, and this applies certainly to American history as well. Perhaps the reason they are so fundamental is because they are conducive to a reconciliation of this very tension, muting feelings of isolation while validating one’s own subjective, personal experiences. Jeany Seely was able to move past her heartbreak by relating to a classic heartbreak anthem; Janie was able to reach a point of fulfillment partially through friendship and the relaying of stories; The Invisible Man was able to reflect on his own identity and find solace in the words of Jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong. Is it not telling and optimistic that this trio of protagonists, despite variance in age, time lived, gender, race, upbringing, and status, were all able to approach a greater truth through similar processes?
Works Cited
Aristotle. Aristotle’s Poetics. New York :Hill and Wang, 1961.
Aristotle. Aristotle’s Politics. Oxford :Clarendon Press, 1905.
Burns, Kenneth, director. Country Music. Florentine Films, 2019.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York :Vintage International, 1995.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York :Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006.
Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968. Cannery Row. New York :Editions for the Armed Services, Inc., 1945.
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