Pachyderm Analysis

If a poem were to mirror a child, it would be very distinct from other poems. It wouldnt
be structured like one of Shakespeares sonnets but instead would be a free verse poem like that
of Whitman. Sherman Alexies Pachyderm comes close to mirroring a child as it mirrors an
unstable adult. This stylistic choice helps Alexie emphasize the mental capacity of his
protagonist Sheldon. Alexie mirrors his protagonist in his poem itself in order to showcase the
extensive turmoil that he has undergone at the cost of war.
The introduction of Sheldon is short and to the point. Sheldon decided he was an
elephant and wore gray clothes to appear like the elephant he wanted to be. The idea is very
endearing and especially cute when he knocks himself unconscious, until line 23 where the
reader finds out that Sheldons twin brother died in war. At this point there is a very sudden
change in the image being portrayed. Now rather than a child mimicking an elephant, a clearly
mentally unstable man has decided to become an elephant. Since Sheldon does not want to lose
the memory of his brother he has developed this mechanism in order to try to cope with his
brother death and always remember him. Sheldons mind has reached a level of instability that it
has even affected the very structure of the poem he is in.
Alexie beautifully uses structural elements to liken the poem to Sheldon and essentially
mirror him in it. The poem is in free verse and has no set number of syllables per line and no
rhyme scheme. It is free very much like a child would be and how Sheldons mental instability
causes him to be. In order to attempt and bring some stability to the poem and Sheldon, Alexie
numbers every single one of the 101 lines in the poem. This creates a sense of stability in the
structure of the poem which is very much needed by Sheldon. All of these lines are also end

Pachyderm Analysis
stopped which creates a lack of flow in the poem. This lack of flow causes a reading of the poem
to be somewhat broken and not smooth at all which is exactly how Sheldon would talk. The
speech itself within the lines is also very childlike because of unnecessary repetition like in lines
67 and 68 describing Arnold, Above the wound, Arnold is a good man and Below the wound,
he is also a good man. This child like speech and uneven flow of the poem is very reminiscent
of how Sheldons speech would be. Sheldon is the poem.
Alexie further uses mechanism of structure and imagery in the poem in order to show that
emphasize Sheldons struggle with his brothers death. Despite mental instability, Sheldon is able
to make a progression in the poem. Through his action in the first half of the poem there is the
constant them of protection and preservation. Alexie employs a lot of images such as elephants,
who are wise and wont forget the death of a loved one, along with rib cages. Like a rib cage
protects the heart, Sheldon longs to preserve his brothers self and even soul as within the handful
of dirt. In the second half of the poem Sheldon begins to develop his thoughts a little more and
has a brief lucid moment where he remembered he was not an elephant. Instead his brother
Pete is an elephant who died valiantly. In this brief moment, Sheldon accepts that his brother is
dead and is gone. His grieving is not done however as shown by the last line and his endless,
harrowing note. The connotation of course being that Sheldons grieving for his brother will not
end. Alexie reinforces this again with structure through the number of the line. The last line is
numbered 101 so it is part of a new set of numbers. Had the poem stopped at 100 it would have
been a complete set of numbers, but the extra one connotes a continuation of numbers. Most
likely indefinitely like Sheldons note.
Alexies choice for the name of the poem is very fitting because a pachyderm is a very
large mammal with thick skin which is essentially what Sheldon tries to be. Sheldon longs to be

Pachyderm Analysis
an elephant because an elephant will not forget the death of a loved one and will mourn for much
long after. For this reason, it is very hard for Sheldon to come to terms with the death of his
brother. He accepts it, yet is still very resentful. The constant elephant imagery connotes that
Sheldon will continue to remember his pain for a long time to come. Despite saying that he is no
longer an elephant, Sheldon is still an elephant because his brothers memory is something that
he will not forget. In order to show this, the author carefully chose the name Pachyderm because
the poem is a mirror of Sheldon therefore the poem is essentially an elephant. Sheldons decision
to no longer be an elephant shows growth in his character, reinforcing the idea that he has dealt
with his brothers death and accepted that he wont be coming back to him.
Though Sheldon was indirectly affected by the war, he still suffered terribly due to the
loss of his brother and arrived at a mentally unstable state, a mental instability which is
beautifully portrayed within the structure of the poem itself. Through numbered and end-stopped
lines and the childish speech, Alexie creates an atmosphere that not only mirrors Sheldon but is
essentially him embodied as a poem. This backbone of structure emphasizes the toll that war has
taken on Sheldons life showing that despite not being directly affected by war, the secondary
effects can still be haunting. And even though Sheldon is able to progress throughout the play
and finally accept the death of his brother, he still has not forgiven God or war. He plays an
eternal harrowing note for them, but from his trumpet, or his tusk?