After reading the poem Love for $17.50 by Charles Bukowski, my mind is in a conundrum. When reading this poem things that come to mind are how funny, sad, disgusting and how real all of it is. This piece of literature literally has me asking so many questions on why this and that happened. Bukowski really slaps you a good one on this poem, there are many different emotions to it.
There are lots of great pieces of literature out there and this one really hits the spot. This poem is an effective piece of literature because it makes you use your brain, it is terrifying and beautiful at the same time, it brings something out of the ordinary to life, and it is a straight forward.
First off, this poem is an effective piece of literature because it makes you use your brain. This poem makes you want to ask questions like: Why did Robert fall in love with a mannequin? He has a girlfriend, isn’t she enough? Does he slap the mannequin because Laura cheated on him? Does the love for the mannequin relate to the death of his parents?
What is his mentality on what love is? All these questions arise and put you in a quandary. There is just so much to consider and reason with. It is powerful and very meaningful. Books and other writings that make you really think on the story behind it shows how well of an author they are. It gets you hooked into the story and makes want to keep on reading and reading. In the case of Robert, the way he brings up his parents at the end gives me the idea that it could be a psychological thing where the image of his parents’ death came back to him when he saw Stella dead on the floor.
Next off, this poem is an effective piece of literature because it is terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Bukowski gives the reader this character that has a sex fantasy with making love to statues and mannequins. He madly falls in love with a mannequin and has sex with it, argues with it and hides it when company is over. At times it can be funny that a man is having sexual relations with a mannequin.
This poem really goes into detail how Robert observes the mannequin. For instance, when the author describes Robert looking at the mannequin and says, “He saw her standing there in a long red dress. She wore rimless glasses, was well-shaped; dignified and sexy the way they used to be.” That right there just shows how far Robert is into his fantasy. Bukowski went into absolute detail on Robert’s viewpoint of the mannequin.
Another thing that Bukowski says is, “The affair was sexual to begin with but gradually he was falling in love with her, he could feel it happening… After all, was it necessary to love a real human being?” Now what is terrifying about all of this is that it is totally real to him. He is falling in love with a mannequin. It does not move, it does not converse back to him, it does not relay affection back to him yet he is madly in love with it.
Now it is also beautiful because in his little world it is all possible and real. He really has feelings for this mannequin. He makes love to and talks to as if it were a real person. He is living his fantasy. From my perspective this is Bukowski showing his mentality of love.
Another thing that makes this poem an effective piece of literature is it brings something out of the ordinary to life. Robert brought this simple display model, in inanimate object, to life. Robert has gone as far dressing up this mannequin with new clothing. He has named it Stella and actually gets into arguments with her.
Think about that, a human shaped piece of plastic that serves no purpose other than showing off clothing and this man has managed to make it the love of his life. It makes you wonder how Bukowski perceives love in the real world. This all could be just writing but what if it is not and he really thinks love is like this. As I mentioned earlier, in Robert’s world this is totally real.
This poem is totally very imaginative and creative. It is something that you do not see everyday nor would you think is possible. Bukowski has really gone into depth with this characters fantasy. It is very real and full of life.
Lastly, this poem is an effective piece of literature because it is a straight forward poem. Charles Bukowksi goes into every grain detail of every event that is happening. It gives the reader the ability to sort of pick out what is actually going on. The narration is simple and does not lead you off track.
He is very vulgar in his writing, sometimes a little too detailed, but he does get the point across. His writing gives off a sickening feeling but not to the point where you cannot stop reading. After you read this poem, you can pick out pieces about the main character. You can tell he is probably psychologically sick. His mentality on love is completely out of ordinary.
The burial of his parents in the past probably affected how he developed into the character he is today. This poem gives off vibes of different aspects like sadness, happiness, love, disgust, etc. This poem wants you to ask lots of questions, but questions that can easily be formulated from what the author has given you.
The poem Love for $17.50 by Charles Bukowski is a powerful piece of literature. This poem goes from how funny it is that Robert bought a mannequin to how sad it is that he is having sex with the mannequin. This poem brings powerful imagery to the table with how detailed Bukowski gets with Robert’s fantasy. At times it can be disgusting to how detailed he is.
Bukowski brings Robert’s fantasy to life and the feeling of how real it is to him. Robert’s world can be beautiful but terrifying at the same time, which shows that Bukowski’s viewpoint on love is different. It the reader use their brains in a way that we don’t normally do on a daily basis. You get a real feel for Robert and are able to pick out parts on why he may be this way. In essence, this poem is humorous, real, imaginative, sad, creative and disturbing.
