Master’s sequence of poems seems to change throughout the book. There are periods where he just describes small town complications, and others when he uses the characters to send a deep message. The themes presented in this story are not specific to small towns they are more universal. A lot of the writing has to do with human nature and how humans behave in their own environment. Calvin Campbell introduces the example of flowers and how different plants grow under the same circumstances.
“You may blame Spoon River for what it is, But whom do you blame for the will in you that feeds itself and makes you dock-weed,”(94).
The plants are not grown under ideal condition, but the beautiful plants are still able to be grow. Campbell says that people often say they are at a disadvantage and do nothing about the situation. She believes will power is what makes people succeed or fade away, and up bringing is not an excuse for a miserable life. The flaw with the metaphor is that plants have a certain genus and cannot develop into something else.
