Perhaps the World Ends Here

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1994

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Gathering and Shared Human Experience

“Perhaps the World Ends Here” is centered on the gathering of people. This central, distinct theme grounds the poem in its metaphor: the kitchen table being compared to life and its cycles and events. Gathering is an important part of humanity, from the time humans nomadically walked the earth as hunters and gatherers to now, where almost all cultures use some sort of communal surface (like a table) to share and prepare food. Harjo’s opening statement (“The world begins at a kitchen table” [Line 1]) indicates that humanity began at the table, for a table is a place of eating and drinking, and humans must eat to live. What follows are the “gifts of earth” (Line 2) that are “brought and prepared, set on the table” (Line 2). The speaker claims it has always been this way (“So it has been since creation, and it will go on” [Line 2]). This theme of gathering and sharing at the table has been going on since the beginning of time—since the first humans raised their children. What’s more, gathering is not only about food. When humans gather, they share essential life events that define humanity: birth, death, marriage, loss, war, and even one’s own eventual death (alluded to using the phrase “end of the world”). Because humans are a communal, social species, Harjo has chosen this theme of gathering to illustrate that no life is lived alone; all lives are intertwined, shared, and the burden of both happiness and sorrow is shouldered as a unit, not placed upon a single person.

The Earth, Climate, and Apocalypse

The poem’s title, “Perhaps the World Ends Here,” hints at the apocalypse, or the complete destruction of the world and all living beings. Harjo, who is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is an environmental activist, and in many of her poems, such as “Speaking Tree,” she recognizes the importance and value of nature. In a conversation with Wake Forest University, Harjo comments on “the deep ancestral knowledge within indigenous cultures relating to managing and caring for lands” (Wilson, Una. “Joy Harjo’s poetry sparks discussions on environment.” Old Gold & Black, 2022). Caring for the earth—even entertaining the idea of facing an impending apocalypse due to climate change—is essential to understanding “Perhaps the World Ends Here.”

Harjo’s poem was published in 1994, during several key moments of environmental history: the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the FDA approving the first genetically modified foods, the enlarged ozone hole, and President Clinton signing an Executive Order to address environmental justice for minority and low-income populations. “Perhaps the World Ends Here” is a direct response to the environmental problems facing the country. Rather than entertain the idea of the apocalypse, Harjo’s speaker makes a concerted effort to promote togetherness and unity over fragmentation and war. By coming together, the speaker argues, the world can be enjoyed and experienced. “Perhaps the World Ends Here” argues that life should be experienced as a series of communal moments. Reiterating the importance of support and collectiveness to lift one another up, Harjo’s poem stands in direct opposition to individualism, capitalism, and living solely for personal gain. Even if the apocalypse comes, Harjo’s poem seems to say, it will come with everyone joined together “laughing and crying” (Line 11) at the table.

Unity’s Triumph over Division

Harjo’s use of the first-person plural perspective establishes a heightened sense of unity. By using the word “we,” the speaker speaks for themself and for the rest of humanity, creating a collective voice. This theme of unity (evident in the following lines: “we gossip, recall enemies and ghosts of lovers” [Line 5]; and “We make men at it, we make women” [Line 4]) establishes a feeling of togetherness. Greg Gilbert, in his review of two works by Harjo—memoir Crazy Brave (2012) and poetry collection An American Sunrise (2019)—comments on Harjo’s use of the first-person plural perspective, stating:

[Harjo uses the] we throughout her prose and poetry to denote community […] Harjo’s community is not an all-encompassing generic Native American stereotype, but a multiplicity of tribes and ancestors, their songs, their connections to the earth, and their generational responses to being forcibly and violently removed from the lands in which they grew their cultures (Gilbert, Greg. “Review of Crazy Brave and An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo.” Cholla Needles Arts & Literary Library, 2021).

“Perhaps the World Ends Here” uses the theme of unity (established through the pronoun “we”) to make her argument: The table is a place where humans experience ritual, ceremony, and momentous events that define what it is to live. Through the central metaphor of the table as a place of gathering, the poem also speaks to all humanity to bring everyone together. In a world divided by race, religion, region, gender, and war, Harjo seeks to establish a sense of peace and togetherness that is essential to living. Through this theme, Harjo asks the reader to recognize shared experiences (birth, death, marriage, joy, sorrow) and to “give thanks” (Line 10) for all that humanity experiences in unity.