James Dickey Essay -- Literature Religion Papers

James Dickey Ah! The world- view to which an individual adheres is all- important. Who am I? Many people strictly conform to a set pattern of beliefs that limit or curtail their expression or personal growth. Many times their beliefs reflect the ideas of a community, a church, or a family. The individual blends in with the group and becomes a co-dependent function of that group. James Dickey conformed to no one. He stands apart due to his ability to intensely reveal the images burning vividly in his mind. One image of Dickey that consistently flames brightly is the persona of the "loner". Dickey fulfills this loner image through his complex worldview that allows him to predatorily satisfy his innate needs through various means. His paradoxical nature allows him to connect to art and people, but the reality of his connections does not preclude him from being defined as a loner. This complex illustration of the Dickey loner acts itself out in Dickey’s life and his art. His life and art diverge and converge throughout. The complex nature of Dickey needs to be explored within peramaters in order to reduce the margin of error that pertains to Dickey as a loner. Blanket statements on Dickey’s life are difficult to prove, because of his ever -changing form. However, this paradoxical person remains somewhat the same as he changes in his loner form. Dickey uses his worldview to fuel his very existence. His art centers on transcendental exploration of the innermost parts of his mind. His characters act out the complexity of his thoughts and the possibilities that exist within his artistic exploration. Dickey’s ability that intensely, dramatically, and descriptively reveals his thoughts define the uniqueness that sets him apart... ...ks Cited Baughman, Ronald. "James Dickey’s War Poetry: A 'Saved, Shaken Life.'" In Kirschten 118-27. Dickey, Christopher. Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son. New York: Simon, 1998. Dickey, James. The Whole Motion: Collected Poems 1945-1992. Hanover, N.H.: UP of New England, 1992. ---. ed. James and Barbara Reiss. Self-Interviews. Baton Rouge: Louisiana SUP, 1984. ---. Deliverance. 1970. New York: Delta, 1994. ---. To the White Sea. 1993. New York: Delta, 1994. Jones, Malcolm, Jr. "When a Predator Is the Prey." In Kirschten 60-61. Kirschten, Robert. ed. " Struggling for Wings": The Art of James Dickey. South Carolina P, 1997. Lieberman, Laurence. " Erotic Pantheism in James Dickey’s ‘ Madness.’ " In Kirschten . 205. Strange. William. "To Dream, to Remember: James Dickey’s Buckdancer’s Choice. " . In Kirschten 17.