The Bull Moose Analysis

Down from the purple mist of trees on the mountain,

lurching through forests of white spruce and cedar,

stumbling through tamarack swamps,

came the bull moose

to be stopped at last by a pole-fenced pasture.

 

Too tired to turn or, perhaps, aware

there was no place left to go, he stood with the cattle.

They, scenting the musk of death, seeing his great head

like the ritual mask of a blood god moved to the other end

of the field and waited.

 

The neighbors heard of it, and by afternoon cars lined

the road. The children teased him

with alder switches and he gazed at them

like an old tolerant collie. The women asked

if he could have escaped from a Fair.

 

The oldest man in the parish remembered seeing

a gelded moose yoked with an ox for plowing.

The young men snickered and tried to pour beer

down his throat, while their girl friends

took their pictures.

 

And the bull moose let them stroke his tick-ravaged flanks,

let them pry open his jaws with bottles, let a giggling girl

plant a little purple cap

of thistles on his head.

 

When the wardens came, everyone agreed it was a shame

to shoot anything so shaggy and cuddlesome.

He looked like the kind of pet

women put to bed with their sons.

 

So they held their fire. But just as the sun dropped in the river

the bull moose gathered his strength

like a scaffolded king straightened and lifted his horns

so that even the wardens backed away as they raised their rifles.

When he roared, people ran to their cars. All the young men

leaned on their automobile horns as he toppled.

"The Bull Moose" by the deceased Canadian poet Alden Nowlan, talks about a massive beast, a bull moose, escaping from somewhere and running away, before being stopped by a pasture fence.  The bull moose is then mocked by humans, but is able to remain calm for the entire day, before losing his cool at sundown, roaring, and toppling over the fence.  Consisting of seven verses, literary devices used in this poem include similes, imagery, and the occasional metaphor.

The first verse opens with powerful imagery, as the first four lines give the reader a clear picture of the challenges facing the bull moose from the very beginning: "Down from the purple mist of trees on the mountain,/lurching through forests of white spruce and cedar,/stumbling through tamarack swamps,/

came the bull moose."  As a reader, I believe the author wanted to portray the bull moose in such a way to make him seem very mysterious.  The first clue is "purple mist" from the first line.  Mist, especially darker coloured mist, is generally associated with the mysterious genre, or uncertainty. 

In the next verse, the author makes us aware of the bull moose's possible intelligence, saying: "Too tired to turn or, perhaps, aware/there was no place left to go, he stood with the cattle."

This invokes an entire new level of depth into the poem, considering a side that not many people would-the intellect of the animal.  I believe that the author wants to invoke feelings of remorse for the animal, who, after such a long journey/escape, has found out that he is still trapped.  Quick contrast follows, as the cattle see the great bull moose in the pasture and the author quickly contrasts the remorse in the previous line with fear, using a simile:   "They, scenting the musk of death, seeing his great head/like the ritual mask of a blood god, moved to the other end/of the field and waited."  This is a very surprising turn of events, once again creating an entirely new identity for the bull moose.

Verses 3,4, and 5 portray the bull moose as an attraction, something to be seen and played with.  The bull moose does nothing to prevent this, as several new themes arise, including helplessness, abuse, and "dumb animal."  The author uses a powerful simile to help the reader realise these themes: "The children teased him/with alder switches and he gazed at them/like an old tolerant collie."  I believe that the bull moose as a powerful creature, does not have the brainpower (at first) to stop this unnecessary abuse, and that the author is very proficient at portraying the different sides of the bull moose in this poem.

The second-to-last verse compares the enormous bull moose to a cute, cuddly teddy bear: "He looked like the kind of pet/women put to bed with their sons."  At this point it may be argued that the author has shown too many sides of the bull moose's personality, and this could confuse readers, however, this is necessary to build up the tension of the bull moose before it overflows in the last verse, causing an unforgettable ending. 

The final verse combines imagery and a simile to create a powerful ending, the simile being: "But just as the sun dropped in the river/the bull moose gathered his strength/like a scaffolded king, straightened and lifted his horns/

so that even the wardens backed away as they raised their rifles."  This raises a new theme, anger, a theme that I believe should have been used much earlier in the poem, to help build up the tension between the bull moose and the crowd of people to a higher level for maximum effect.  The last two lines of the poem use imagery so great, one can imagine the situation exactly: "When he roared, people ran to their cars. All the young men/leaned on their automobile horns as he toppled."  This, I believe, is an amazing send-off to a giant, the bull moose, who finally got angry enough to takes matters into his own "horns."


What should also be stated is that there are several major biblical references in this poem, most notably, the "purple cap of thistles" (the crown of thorns that Jesus Christ wore) that was planted of the Bull Moose's head.