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Themes
Suicide Versus Life
Parker’s poem juxtaposes life with death by suicide. In other words, she puts the two side by side so the reader can identify the unpleasant consequences of suicide and choose life. Lines 1-7 center on the ways a person can die by suicide, and Line 8 concludes the poem by centering on the side of life. Even though the final line is the only one that directly promotes the poem’s message, by negating each method of suicide in the rest of the poem, it is clear that the speaker ultimately promotes life over death. However, not all of Parker’s speakers take this side. In “Coda” (1928), the speaker takes the side of death, declaring, “This living, this living, this living / Was never a project of mine” (Parker, Dorothy. “Coda.” American Poems, 1928. Lines 3-4) and ultimately chooses to die and be directed “to hell” (“Coda,” Line 12). In “Résumé,” the speaker’s allegiance is to life as they speak negatively of death, which develops the theme of Suicide Versus Life.
Death is part of life, but death by suicide is a separate issue. Thus, death versus life is too general. A person can die for countless reasons, but Parker’s poem argues that suicide shouldn’t be one of them. The consequences of attempting death by suicide appear lighthearted, but they are harmful. The “[r]azors” a person uses to cut themselves can lead to issues other than “pain” (Line 1), like permanent scarring. Swallowing poisonous “[a]cids” can “stain” a person’s insides, causing an array of agonizing complications (Line 3). Suicide is unpredictable, and the flippant dismissals of each act belie the harm.
Life doesn’t have grand representation in the poem. The speaker says little about the positive side of life, reinforcing the idea that life is only a little better than death. From one angle, life and death go hand in hand. Life is the source of “pain” (Line 1), dampness, stains, cramps, and terrible “smells” (Line 7). The adverse aspects of death by suicide are the same components that constitute life. In other words, life is full of stains, cramps, odors, and suffering, and, as such, a person “might as well live” (Line 8) and not add to the already distressing tableau. Suicide Versus Life isn't a negative (suicide) versus a positive (life), but a negative (suicide) versus a lesser negative (life).
The Allure of Death and Self-Harm
All but one line in the poem focuses on the potential consequences of suicide, and the emphasis on suicide and the number of ways a person can attempt to harm themselves or put an end to their life implies such destruction possesses allure. Arguably, Parker contributes to the fascination with death and harm. While “Résumé” counters the allure by flippantly calling out the negatives of different kinds of suicides, Parker’s other works concede the appeal.
Aside from “Coda,” there is “Rhyme Against Living” (1928), where the speaker announces, “I bask in dreams of suicide” (Parker, Dorothy. “Rhyme Against Living.” American Poems, 1928. Line 2). The speaker's “dream” of death reflects a culture that tends to romanticize suicide or death at an early age due to harmful behavior. The contemporary American pop star Ke$ha perpetuates the mythologizing in her song “Die Young” (2012), where the chorus features the celebratory lyric, “We’re gonna die young.” From the painter Jean-Michele Basquiat to the musicians Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, Western culture tends to lionize figures who die by suicide or harmful behavior. The glorification contributes to the appeal, turning such deaths into highlights on a person’s résumé, or a brief written summary of their life’s accomplishments.
In “Résumé,” Parker makes harmful behavior and death by suicide something that a person wouldn’t want on their résumé. It’s smelly, painful, “damp” (Line 2), staining, and it should be “unlawful” (Line 5). Death by suicide doesn’t “give” a person a boost but gives way to numerous irritants; like the “nooses,” death by suicide and harmful behavior is not a solid or reliable identity (Line 6). Parker further dents the allure of death and self-harm by omitting the allure of living. Life isn’t such a great item on a résumé, but a person is already living, so they “might as well” (Line 8) keep living and not add further disquiet by trying not to live. The speaker’s refusal to celebrate life makes suicide and self-harm less susceptible to glorification.
The Hardships of Life
Suicide Versus Life and The Allure of Death and Self-Harm produce another theme about the hardships of life. In Parker’s poem, life is an implicit struggle. Though the speaker stands with life, they don’t praise it or present it as a magnificent experience. What the speaker has to say about life is rather glum and unconvincing. The words “might as well” (Line 8) lack confidence. The three words imply that life isn’t paradise. If life were emphatically wonderful, people likely wouldn’t try to leave it by cutting themselves, shooting themselves, overdosing on drugs, and so on.
Through the list of suicide methods, the speaker conveys the privations of life. The struggle of living leads to another struggle—to not live and die by suicide or harmful actions. The impetus to live lies in that living is distressing. The elements of death by suicide already exist in life. Inevitably, a person faces pain—cramps, stains, horrible smells, and a stream of flaws and imperfections. People do not need to compound the hardship of life with the hardship of death by suicide.
The word “well” adds another layer to the theme (Line 8), suggesting that a person can live “well” and life isn’t a series of hardships. Within existence, there is hope or some kind of holistic wellness. From a different angle, the word provides a steely definition for what qualifies as a life “well” lived. A person who lives “well” doesn’t create additional hardships, nor do they try to improve upon the hardships in their life by creating lethal ones. A person who lives “well” faces the hardships of life as best they can while turning away from the allure of suicide and self-harm.
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