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Carmen Flores

Mrs. Reed

American Literature

26 January 2017

Inner Conflict in American Culture

Imagine losing sight of, and disagreeing with yourself so much you believe a stranger has

infiltrated your life. David R. Slavitt explores this concept in The Intruder, writing from the

perspective of a man locked in crippling inner conflict. The Intruders important theme of inner

turmoil relates perfectly to my topic of conflict and shows how societal pressures make inner

conflict a significant issue in American society.

This poem, The Intruder, showcases an individual's inner conflict between who he has

become and who he is on the inside. The narrator of the story believes some homeless guy, a

crazy street-person has broken into his home and stolen his life. As the poem continues we can

infer that this crazy homeless man is in fact the narrator himself. The third stanza of the poem

says, He rummages through my closets and dresser drawers and tries on my clothing, which

happens, of course, to fit him (Slavitt 5). The combination of the intruder both fitting into the

mans clothes, as well as perfectly fitting into different aspects of the narrator's life, shows us he

is in fact the narrator but he does not recognize himself. Later on, the narrator cries out: This

isnt me. Hes an impostor. How can you not have noticed? Hes old! Hes nasty. Also, hes

clearly crazy! How can he fool you this way? And how can you stand him? (17). The man in the

story doesnt recognize who he is anymore, calling the so called intruder: old,nasty, and

crazy. He doesnt see himself as these things but rather the stranger he had become. He has
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become locked in this conflict with his older present self, whom he doesn't understand or like,

while everyone else around him is oblivious to this turmoil.

Conflict is an essential part of any society as different people come with different

views, but I believe that this is far more apparent in American society. Being in a significantly

diverse nation, Americans hold far different values from each other and when added with

societal pressures creates the perfect ground for inner turmoil. I can relate to this as well as I feel

myself sometimes struggling with it. As a young, multiracial, female I see all around me societal

expectations of who I should be, causing me to be conflicted about who I am. Slavitt comments

on this in his poem with the last line of The Intruder reading: And must I go out now myself

to find a victim, break into his house, and begin living his life? (23). This implies a repeated

cycle of inner conflict, supporting the fact this is dominant in American culture. Even more

evidence comes later in the poem with these lines: They pay me no mind, pretending not to

have noticed. Could they somehow be in on this together? (19). The mans family pretend to

not notice his change of character and he wonders if they are in on this deception, showing how

common and not unique this struggle is in society. Because of Americas diversity and large

focus on materialistic and idealistic societal expectations, inner turmoil and conflict is a huge

part of the culture.

Conflict is something that affects everyones lives. We all experience doubts, and

differences between who we want to be and who we, made more apparent as one grows up.

David R. Slavitts The Intruder explores this relatable struggle, and common phenomena in

America experienced as one changes and grows, causing fear and harmful thinking.