The Bean Eaters - An Analysis

The Bean Eaters - An Analysis

The Bean Eaters

by Gwendolyn Brooks

They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,
Tin flatware.

Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.

And remembering . . .
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that
is full of beads and receipts and dolls and cloths,
tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes.

* * *

At first glance, "The Bean Eaters" by Gwendolyn Brooks is a deeply confusing poem that seems to be about some old people that like to eat beans. However, upon a closer examination of the details, one will realize that the poem actually paints a portrait of the relationship between the inhabitants of a planet and the celestial bodies they come into contact with.

The "old yellow pair" is, of course, a binary star system, and is the primary focus of the poem. "Eating beans" is a pun; it is only slightly different than the phrase "heating beings." The use of beans could also represent the tininess of organic life compared to a star, as well as the inability for the star to be sympathetic to life when said life is ruthlessly consumed as fuel.

The "casual affair" that dinner is shows that the stars strike persistently and without warning, as though it were part of a routine. The next two lines play off this further by describing a set of dining equipment so sub par that not even poor people would use it. The poet also cleverly twists her diction to include "plain," which, when defined as a type of planetary terrain, is one of the locations on the planet where the sun(s) would be most visible.

Line five describes the stars as being "Mostly Good." This shows the paradox present even in our own sun: It gives the world life, but also makes it burn. Furthermore, the unusual use of capitalization indicates that "Mostly Good" is a sort of title the stars have been given by those who depend on them. It is also worth noting the odd parallel of this phrase with the "Mostly Harmless" used to describe Earth by Douglas Adams in his Novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If Brooks is a recent poet, this may indeed be a genuine allusion.

Line six is, perhaps, the most intriguing line of the poem so far. At first glance, "Two who have lived their day" seems to simply indicate that the stars are nearing the end of their life cycle. However, any astronomer knows that a yellow star is at the prime of its life, not the end of it. Thus, one can define "live the day" more accurately as the mantra "seize the day," and from this definition derive that these stars have inspired businessmen and workers alike to follow in their model of productivity.

Lines seven and eight have no meaning and are merely included as an exercise for the reader. However, if one insists on exploring Brook's subconscious, they may relate the stars to a parental role. Just as parents "put on their clothes" and "put things away," so do the stars watch over the life upon which they shine. This becomes an interesting paradox when considered in light of the first stanza, and reinforces the point made in line five.

The final stanza concludes the poem with philosophy of astronomical proportions. The stars, apparently, remember earlier times. This includes not only the parts in their own lives when they were "twinkling" like a little star, but also the "twinges" that brought them into the universe to begin with. They seem to realize the world in which they 'lean over the beans" is but a "rented back room" filled to the brim with cultural paraphernalia. When the time comes for the inhabitants to leave, these things will be swept away, as there is no way to carry them. Due to the notable exclusion of beans from the list, however, perhaps Brooks wishes to indicate that life has a destiny that lies outside of the universe we know. this has its credibility enhanced due to its alignment with one of Nostradamus's most famous prophecies. Gwendolyn brooks should be commended for her philosophical sensibilities as well as her ability to elegantly express them in a three stanza poem.