The Bull Moose Analysis

The theme prevalent in The Bull Moose by Aiden Nowlan is that nature is slowly dying. As seen in stanza 1, lines 4-5, “came the bull moose to be stopped at last by a pole fenced pasture”; the moose is stopped by a fence. This represents the facts that nature is being stopped by human made structures. Additionally, in stanza 6, lines 1-2, “When the wardens came, everyone agreed it was a shame to shoot something so shaggy and cuddlesome.” demonstrates regret of the intent to kill the moose. Finally, “All the young men leaned on their automobile horns as he toppled.” signifies that the moose has died. Throughout the poem, the moose’s condition slowly gets worse until his death. However, the humans do not notice until the very end. The same is happening across the world with the destruction of nature, society fails to notice the damage we are causing. Therefore, the thematic message of this poem is that even though nature is being destroyed, humans do not

The male moose being mentioned throughout the poem is not literally the forest creature, but rather, a symbol for nature. A moose is described as silent, but strong. Proof of that can be found in stanza 7, line 3 “like a scaffolded king, straightened and lifted his horns”. This defines the moose as a being that is regal, noble, and strong. Using the moose as a symbol is important because the author can now make nature into a persona, who can perform actions, have feelings, and be associated with the other traits which define the symbol. Another symbol can be found in stanza 8, line 2, “leaned on their automobiles as he toppled.” The automobile horn could represent artificial products. The young men “lean” on automobile horns, or in other words, rely on them. Automobiles are products made in factories and pollute the Earth, and the young men do not do anything but lay back on them as they watch with pity as the moose