"Digging" Characterization Analysis Essay

Heaney’s Characterization of the Speaker in “Digging”

            In "Digging", Seamus Heaney creates a speaker through characterization who first thinks he doesn't measure up, but then realizes his potential. Immediately, Heaney shows that the speaker, a writer, values the hard work ethic and skill that his father and grandfather have. The speaker becomes unsure that his abilities as a writer will measure up to the legacy his father and grandfather have left behind. Ultimately Heaney empowers the speaker with a spark of self-confidence, and begins to believe in the power of his pen. Heaney characterizes the speaker as unsure and timid, and finally courageous  throughout the poem as an example of how we should believe in our abilities as we reach for individuality.

            In the beginning of the poem, the speaker has respect and deference for hard work. Toward the beginning of the poem, the speaker admits, “the old man could handle a spade” (Heaney 15). The father is a potato farmer who provided for and raised his child by hard work and diligence. Here, the speaker shows his adoration for the skill and mastery that his father has. The respect that he has had for his father all his life has led to intimidation and a feeling of adherence to his family. The speaker reveals his concern for bringing the end to a valuable legacy when he shares that “[his] grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man on Toner’s bog” (Heaney 17-18). His grandfather cuts turf; needless to say, a less than glamorous job, to support the family. The speaker realizes that his role in supporting his own family is arriving slowly, and tries to decide what kind of legacy he wants to leave. The pressure to decide his path escalates, but the pressure has only been applied at his own hand. The speaker admires his father and grandfather, which is making the decision to write, instead of become a potato farmer, feel more and more dissident as the poem moves forward.

            Throughout the poem, the speaker doubts that his writing measures up to the diligent drudgery of his father and grandfather. Once, when the speaker was a young boy, he “carried [his grandfather] milk in a bottle / corked sloppily with paper” (Heaney 19-20). This would not be so important usually, however it is the only memory he recalls from his childhood, so it can be assumed it is important in understanding the character. The speaker still feels that he can only do a simple, childish task in comparison to the neat and organized demeanor of his grandfather. Later in the poem, the speaker believes in the power of his pen, “but [he has] no spade to follow men like them” (Heaney 28).  The speaker realizes, with a sense of regret, that his character and passions do not point to him following the legacy left by his father and grandfather. The speaker has become afraid of what his family will make of him straying from the job that is so closely tied to his family. The speaker wants to take his life in a different direction, but throughout the poem, his connection to his family have brought doubts.

            At the end of the poem, Heaney turns the speaker’s view and gives him a sudden spur of self-confidence. Heaney gives the speaker this boost when he begins the last stanza, “Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests” (Heaney 29-30). Although almost an exact copy of the first two lines, Heaney leaves out, “snug as a gun” (Heaney 2). In the last stanza, the speaker has had a shift in the way that he views his situation. He is no longer defensive, he has realized that if he is meant to be a writer, his pen does not need to be a weapon, but a tool to escape. In the last line of the poem, “I’ll dig with it” (Heaney 31) stands alone, the last sentence of the poem, in which the speaker convinces himself that although he will head in his own direction, he is still digging. The speaker has gained confidence, and began to realize his abilities. The speaker has become independent in his method, but not in his roots. The speaker identifies himself as a writer, yet he keeps in mind the work ethic and determination of his father and grandfather.

            Heaney uses characterization to show the speaker’s struggle to reach his own individuality, when he already feels so engaged in his family’s work. Heaney characterized the speaker through instances with his father and grandfather, which lead to an internal struggle as the speaker comes of age.  The speaker plays out a role that most of us face at a time in our lives. To have to make a decision between the ones who have loved you for so long and what you are passionate about may be the most difficult decision of all.