Dylan Thomas and Death

I cringe to say it because it’s just so obvious, but one of the common themes I noticed in Thomas’ poetry was death. Now, having stated that obvious fact, I wanted to talk a little bit about something specific I noticed about Thomas’ use of this theme. In two of his poems, “And Death Shall Have No Dominion” and “A Refusal to Mourn the Death…”, Thomas’ takes an interesting approach to the topic of death. Certainly, each poem is optimistic in its own rights, but when they are examined together, they present an almost irresponsible attitude towards death.

“And Death shall Have No Dominion” certainly has a more optimistic approach towards death than is typical. The idea of death as an event within a continuum rather than a finality is definitely a positive approach. Likewise, “A Refusal to Mourn…” echoes this optimistic approach with the final line which reads, “After the first death, there is no other.” In both of these poems Thomas takes the power away from death by either 1.) declaring that it may come as an event, but it may not take dominion over or possess those who die, or 2.) refusing to acknowledge it through mourning. Therefore, on the one hand, this could be seen as a strong, optimistic view of death. Yet, on the other hand, it almost seems irresponsible. Thomas refuses to acknowledge the power of death, and in the end we get a poem such as “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night,” in which he cannot let go of his father or allow him to have a peaceful death despite the fact that it is time for him to go.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, yes, it’s fine for Thomas to have this optimistic approach to death, but he shouldn’t be so unwilling to acknowledge its power an inevitability that he is not able to accept it when the time comes. He has a strong approach towards death, but when it’s put to the test of reality, it fails.