David Earle Birney Summary

In the Poem “David” by Earle Birney, two young men undergo adventure while scaling the rocky mountains. One character is more outgoing than the other and is willing to do anything to get to the top. However while the men were almost at the top of the mountain they undergo a life altering challenge. The men have to make an decision what would happen to one another. Altogether the centralized theme in Birney’s “David” is sometimes doing the right thing can lead to negative consequences. Some of these consequences may be the loss of a life,making decisions under pressure or even dealing with guilt.
While the men are scaling the mountain and David fell, David not want to face the outcomes of the fall because it meant he couldn't live a normal life and have to let go of his past. He did not want to have to life a new way of life and deal with being in a “wheelchair”(VIII,33) .His request to his friend Bobby was to push him “over...over” (VIII,9)) the edge. Bobby made the right decision for David because he was “wing-broken” (V,11)) and would not be able to live a normal life. However Bobby felt guilty that this happened to David and tried everything to help. He tried to reassure David that the “bleeding will stop” and would be able to get him help. Bobby must deal with the guilt that he did not test my his foothold’ and had to

While David’s lying on the ledge and Bobby was doing everything to save him, David pressured him into pushing him over. He explained to Bobby “i’d do it for you, Bobby” (VIII, 52) to reassure him and to guilt him into doing it. David also wanted to feel “some pain” (VIII,14) and the only way he would ‘feel’ again is pushing him over. After Bobby pushed him over he remembers “the last day of his youth” because he is no longer a innocent child living care free. The pressure from David led to Bobby losing his innocence and must becoming an adult, dealing with secrets and