How Poetry of Charles Baudelaire Is Representative of Symbolist Poetry

Charles Baudelaire

The Theme of Good vs. Evil: Dichotomous Symbolism in the Poetry of Charles Baudelaire

Nineteenth century marked the emergence and developed of new ideologies and movements as society moved towards modernism. Among these movements was the school of symbolism, a literary movement that became prevalent during this period, especially in Western societies. One of the proponents of the symbolism movement was Charles Baudelaire, French poet who was known for using the theme of contemplation of morality and religiosity in his poetry.

Baudelaire was well-known for his effective portrayal of the theme of good against evil, centering his depiction of this theme on the role of religion, particularly Christianity, and morality in the lives of people in his society. In addition to the dichotomy of goodness and deviltry, the poet also criticized and questioned the norms prevalent in French society. Baudelaire applied the standards of morality as applied between the poor and the wealthy, wherein the latter was evidently more privileged and favored not only by society, but by the Church, who plays as a primary influencer on society's values, beliefs, and traditions.

Looking into three poems by Baudelaire, "To a brown beggar-maid," "The sick muse," and "The eyes of beauty," this paper analyzes his use of the theme of good vs. evil through symbols. Though each poem symbolized the theme differently, the analysis shows that through symbolic dichotomies of beauty and ugliness and Christianity and paganism, Baudelaire was able to effectively portray goodness among the poor and those with no religion, as compared to those who are wealthy and poses themselves as highly religious. In effect, these poems all reflect Baudelaire's criticism of the elite and hypocrite class in French society, classes who, in spite of their good fortune and privileges, continue inflicting suffering and moral condemnation to the poor and non-elite classes of the society.

In the poem "To a brown beggar-maid," the theme of good vs. evil was symbolized through the dichotomy of beauty and ugliness, which was personified by the beggar-maid. The stereotypical appearance of the beggar-maid depicts an ugly and filthy individual, and as described in the poem, she is one "[w]hose garments, through their holes, declare / That poverty is part of you." Indeed, these lines showed how the lack of wealth meant that life for the beggar-maid had also been ugly. However, he sought to alleviate the suffering and sorry state the beggar-maid found herself in by concentrating in the characteristics that people do not commonly notice or find in her. It was noticeable that for every unpleasant trait of the poem's subject, Baudelaire saw goodness and beauty in each of these traits. Examples of dichotomous symbols were the following: "summer freckles here and there" vs. "sweet and fair"; sabots gracefully treaded on vs. The queen's half-graceful carrying of her velvet shoes; and "ribbons carelessly untied" became a pleasant trait -- "reveal to us the radiant pride."

These symbols of beauty and ugliness are part of Baudelaire's general theme of good vs. evil. While ugliness may be perceived as a symbol for deviltry, he actually considered ugliness as beauty and goodness, and perceived beauty as ugliness and deviltry. By assigning these meanings to the poem's symbols, Baudelaire attempts to deviate from society's norms and standards of beauty and ugliness and in general, goodness and evil.

'The sick muse" provided another interpretation of Baudelaire's good vs. evil theme. In it, he depicted the contrasting nature of organized religion (such as Christianity, which prevailed during Baudelaire's time) and nature worship or paganism. Though not directly demonstrated, the poem had shown contemplation of just how much organized religion truly helps an individual alleviate himself/herself from suffering. In the last four lines of the poem, Christianity was pitted against Phoebus and Pan, Greek gods of the Sun and Nature, respectively. The 'sick muse' in the poem was stricken with both Folly and Horror, as well as love and terror; in these states, Baudelaire questions whether the Muse achieved peace of mind and health through Christianity. His answer was reflected in the last two lines, suggesting perhaps that Christianity is not the answer to suffering, but being one with Nature. This poem can be interpreted as a contemplation -- a questioning of the Church's principles and rules that it tried to enforce onto society.