The Alcoholic Isolation
and Fall to Self-Destruction in
Edwin Arlington Robinson’s
“Mr. Flood’s Party”
Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “Mr R ood’s Party” has enchanted and delighted
readers of poetry for decades. Perhaps its appeal lies in its poignant descriptions of
the pains and frustrations of getting older; perhaps it has something to do with the
poem’s remarkable viscerality; perhaps the poem is appreciated simply because it
describes a rather sentimental interlude in the life of a lonely old bachelor who
gets throughly soused while trudging home (see Appendix A for a complete ver
sion of the poem). I would suggest, however, that, while all these perspectives
indicate a commendable appreciation for the piece, they do not take full account of
its remarkable capacity to portray the overwhelming confusion that is integral with
aging, alcoholism, and depression, most especially as that confusion has a direct
relationship to the A. A. model of disease and addiction. In this regard, then, per
haps a detailed socio-critical ex Ɩ6F