Analyzing Alec Soth’s Sleeping by the Mississippi
When I was first introduced to this new unit in my English class I thought it was going to be another text analysis unit and the pictures were just a very small portion. However, when I analyzed the first image in this series I knew that the pictures were way more than just background information. The pictures were the text. When I was first presented with the photo Charles by Alec Soth, I was immediately drawn to the image and wanted to explore more about the series. The way he was so isolated from everything around him and the way that nothing around him was affecting him to be anything but himself. The way this grown man with a child like imagination was captured is beyond anything I had ever seen before. I was very confused when I first saw this image but then later, when we all talked about it together in class I truly noticed all the hidden details I had missed at first glance. The eerie feeling of these images is a feeling like no other. These images, though haunting, are inspiring in so many ways. The true meaning of these images could be a hidden gem however I believe that Alec Soth wanted to make it obvious to make people overthink it. The title in itself holds the meaning. Sleeping by the Mississippi is a series about the dreamers of America. Each image shares a dream that someone may be trying to chase however can never fully reach it. The way that these individuals are being trapped and isolated is the true deep meaning of this hauntingly powerful series.
Charles is a grown man with a child’s mind. The way that Alec Soth was able to capture such a deep meaning in what seems like a simple photo is beyond me. So many things stand out to me in this image. The most important focal point is the planes. The planes bring us directly to the deeper meaning of the whole series. A dream. Charles has a dream of being a pilot and he’s still attempting to reach it. Getting so close yet it’s still so far and the only way he can live this dream is through these two toy planes and his imagination. Charles is trapped. Being trapped doesn’t only have to be in a physical way. In this photo, Charles is trapped in his dreams. Mentally he is trapped and focused on something else whereas physically he is present. The way he is posed and the way he’s “flying” the planes shows that he truly is trapped in this mindset that he is a pilot. The movement in this image can only be seen once really have looked into it. When you get to know the image you really start to notice the small details and the more important things even if they’re small. His dreams are leading him through life like a dog on a leash and he never gets close enough to reach them. The way he chases his dreams isn’t what you think of when you imagine chasing your dreams, he’s forever running in circles chasing something that he can never have.
Being trapped isn’t the only thing that’s prominent in this series. Being isolated is also a very important theme. The way these individuals are so alone draws us to the images even more. The feeling of wanting to help these lost dreamers is so prominent when you look at these images because of how lonely the individuals look. The image Bible Study Book shows that someone who was once working had left their work for a moment. The way the knife is so perfectly placed on the Bible study book gives you an eerie feeling all throughout your body. It makes you question what story is hidden behind this haunting image. The way the book is left open it could be abandoned maybe the book itself is waiting to be read. It’s almost so eerie that it’s inviting. Being drawn into this image enough to notice the small details like the dusty glasses on the side makes you wonder how long this book has been sitting untouched on that table in front of the lonely window. The window is like an escape but we can’t open it, making us trapped in this image.
Sheila is trapped. The way that she is in the shape of the cross and the way that she is looking into the camera directly makes us feel her hurt and her loneliness. Her lack of movement is causing us to feel lost. Religion is so prominent in this series but in this image alone. Sheila was photographed while wearing an orange college sweatshirt that seems to have small religious verses or phrases written all over it. The way she’s holding her arms out makes us realize that yes… Sheila is trapped. She is trapped in her dream of religion. Religion seems to be taking such a huge toll on her life and almost ting control over her body. She seems to be resorting to religion as her coping method. Her feeling of being wanted and cared for is being cured by religion and maybe she’s trying to escape that but she can’t. Maybe she’s trying to reach such reality and that is her dream.
The final image I want to talk about for this essay is Eggleston in his music room. Although this series has many amazing photographs and each image has its own story, this image alone holds so much. This is one of my favorite images from this series and it really ties my whole theory of deeper meaning and being trapped together. The way he’s looking at his piano as if dreaming of being a musician or maybe hoping to get his musical talents back. Perhaps he’s thinking back to a better time and that’s where he’s trapped. Mentally he is isolated and trapped in a better time maybe where he was happier. Maybe his music is an escape. By looking at his piano he is able to enter that mindset and he is able to think of that better time. Solely from looking at the photo and without any analytical purpose we can see how he probably lives alone. Being physically alone is what allows him to be mentally alone and mentally isolated.
Looking back to this series as a whole we can note how almost every photo contains an empty cold room or an empty lonely person. The way these images capture the essence of true loneliness will forever be the most powerful aspect of this series. Being alone and trapped inside your own dreams would be a traumatizing experience and looking through the eyes of the people in these photos and getting a look into their lives we are able to feel a slight sliver of the emotion these individuals are feeling. Each hauntingly powerful photo has a different story however, all the images share a common theme. This series is about the dreamers of America. Carving their way along the Mississippi River planting and leaving small portions of their broken dreams wherever they go. The American dreamers forever chasing the dreams that may never become their reality.
