Williams’ Meaning of the New World

Williams Carlos Williams describes how a major event has shaped America in each chapter of In the American Grain. In each event, Williams refers to the “New World” but never clearly states what the New World is. Williams gives the readers an opportunity to stir up their imagination and decide the meaning of the New World on their own. With the knowledge received from previous chapters, it is safe to argue that the “American Grain” is the seed planted by early settlers that created the characteristics of the New World. Williams points out similar occurrences during different parts of history that originated in the “grain”. These reoccurrences are initiating from one simple word, fear. Although in most chapters Williams uses the specific words “New World”, in the chapter “Jacataqua” he only references to it by describing events that influenced what the New World developed into. “Jacataqua” is the most obvious description of the American character, which is driven by fear, leaving the “New World” to be a symbol of America’s terror. Williams quotes another source “The United States… has given more of material help to Europe and to the world in the last ten years in time of need, than have all other nations of the world put together in the entire history” (Williams 174). But Williams argues that even though America is seeking to be helpful, it is still the wealth that is the priority, and wealth is the product of fear. Because of this fear, America can be “tricked or tripped...with hatred… by those whom we give the most” (Williams 175). No matter how much America gives, “it is impossible for a rich nation to convince any one of its generosity” (Williams 175).

Williams also gives a deeper reasoning to the accomplishments of American’s business and wealth, and that reason, you guessed it, is because of fear. Businessmen panic of waking up from this “game” because they are scared their success is a dream. If we did not make money our conception of reality would have to be changed. In order to balance your business and another purpose requires “to spoil the intoxication” of your imagination (Williams 179-180). Not only does America have a fear of being unsuccessful, it fears the consequences of changing or experimenting. Williams discusses how the New World must never fully posses something, but to just touch or see. He blames the Puritan’s fear to go outside their comfort zone for the reason it is “the impossibility to attain is the source of all good in the world” (Williams 176). Williams proposes this idea in the chapter “Poor Richard”, “Franklin did not care to be ruined – he only wanted to touch” (Williams 155). He also goes on arguing “to want to touch…comes always of a kind of timidity, from fear” (Williams 157). This is another example why Williams refers to the developing of America’s character as the New World. In the chapter of Ben Franklin, he claims that Franklin is “the development of the timidity” (Williams 155). Williams is noting that the timidity of achievement in America was created by Franklin. Williams notes that “fear drove his curiosity” when Franklin invented the lightning rod which led to explorations of electricity (Williams 155). The miraculous energy that goes into invention is the force of fear. Inventions are created in a “metronome” way, waiting for the time that a fear will encourage a new invention (Williams 177). Williams considers Franklin’s inventions, and other accomplishments of America, hurtful to the New World. Aristocrats of that era had to “touch” everything and use it in a “practical” way. The system used to

increase the gap between touch and a thing is the force of fear that can rob emotions (Williams 177). Williams mockingly justifies America’s need for slaves when he argues America’s fear of touch. He indicates the difference in “service” and “as to serve another”. Service, in America, is sending relief supplies to a foreign country who experienced a disaster, such as “relieving cyclone sufferers in India” (Williams 176). But, “An American will not serve another man...to serve another, with a harder personal devotion is foreign to us” (Williams 176). Americans are afraid to do the work and will loose their self-esteem. Contrary to America’s fear of touch, it does have a love for violence; “it thrills at big fires and explosions” (Williams 177). Americans are “the finest fire fighters in the world”, they simply wait around for a fire to get a pleasure. But is it pleasure they are waiting for, or is it “‘generosity’ and ‘honor’” they cannot wait to give to the victims, so they can insure their wealth (Williams 177). The violence in newspapers is not because of immediacy, but because of fear. Fear leads to violence. America loves the sport most known for violence, football. But even though America loves violence they are not open to injuries, “the only hero is he who is not hurt” (Williams 180). This theory relates to another fear of not amused and of embarrassment. Williams’ main reason for writing the chapter “Jacataqua” was to emphasize “the womanhood in her time, the form which bitterness of pioneer character had denied it” (Williams 186). Significantly, Jacataqua herself is noticeably absent for most of the chapter. She appears briefly only in the closing paragraphs” (Conrad 133). Jacataqua is introduced at the end of the chapter to indicate the absence of a female flowering in

America. Williams adds that women are “cattle, cattle of the spirit – not yet come in”, but when they do come in he recoils in terror (Conrad 142). One of the most controversial parts of “Jacataqua” is how Williams brought to the reader’s attention of the fear America forced on young women when it came to sex. “The American girl who can run free must be protected in some other way so she is frightened…made to feel that she is vicious, evil” (Williams 183). It means everything in America for a girl to lose her virginity, because of the convincing “puritanical evil” that causes her to get “such a violent jolt from her past teaching and such a sense of the hatred of the world against her that she is ready to commit suicide” (Williams 184). The reasoning for America to have such an evil moral is because it was “Trained a Puritan…” (Williams 182). Williams schools the reader to know exactly what American morals came from, “morals have but one character, and that, - sex; while morals are deformed in the name of purity” (Williams 157). Although early America had many characteristics, they all derived from the same basis of fear. Settlers planted the grain of fear in the new land that grew to be center of the New World. The chapter “Jacataqua” describes the fear of the American character and the “tenacity with which the fear still inspires laws” and customs (Williams 157). Even though Williams never directly says “New World” in “Jacataqua”, he is describing it by the way he illustrates what America has turned into from past events. Williams is trying to warn and make the New World aware of this trap of fear they are falling into.

Works Cited Conrad, Bryce. Refiguring America: a study of William Carlos Williams' In the American grain. Urbana: University of Illonois Press, 1990. Print. Williams, Williams Carlos. In the American Grain.NewYork: New Directions, 1933.Print