Sunday Morning

     Although "Sunday Morning" by Wallace Stevens seems to be questioning and critiquing Christian theology, I think the speaker in the poem may be onto something, and may even have a stronger grasp on what Christian theology truly hopes for than most Christians who set their eyes on "heaven."  In line 76, the question is posed: "Is there no change of death in paradise?"  The speaker is concerned with the fact that in the after life, everything is still, stagnant, unchanging.  Where on Earth humans could move about, have passions and emotions, enjoy the seasons, in the heaven that is so often described by the Church and Christians, everything seems to stay the same.  This concerns the speaker--especially the fact that people sit in wait of this as their desired future.  "Death is the mother of beauty; hence from her, alone, shall come fulfillment to our dreams and desires" (lines 63-65).

     It's somewhat humorous to me that Christians, who so adamantly claim that God created the earth, are so willing and ready to leave it.  Christians, who fight for pro-life rights, recognize humans as precious, believe life is sacred, focus so much on their own death. They essentially await their death in order to be with God, in order to be fulfilled.

     But Stevens seems to be giving an alternative to death: life.  Line 19 he says,
   
          Shall she find not comforts of the sun,
          In pungent fruit and bright, green wings, or else
          In any balm or beauty of the earth
          Things to be cherished like the thought of heaven?

     The speaker is suggesting that life needs to be lived; the beauty of the earth we live on is a gift, and should be cherished like the thought of heaven is cherished by those longing to be there already.  Although Steven's ideas about "heaven" may be informed by some bad theology, he offers a good suggestion to those who live (or wish to die) by those beliefs.