The poem “stealing” by Carol Ann Duffy is one of the most interesting poems I have ever read. It is about a common thief who steals objects with no great value, for example a snowman. You never know the thief’s gender or his or her name and this adds an air of mystery. Throughout the poem you feel no sympathy towards him. He takes enjoyment out of other people’s grief and this may be due to an unstable childhood or simply the way he feels about society. The poem is written quite sympathetically but no matter how hard you try, you find that the thief is a very unlikable character. He has an exceptionally high opinion of himself and a certain degree of self importance and this is made apparent by the way he looks at his life at a certain angle, with a third person view. It is my task to describe how far Carol Ann Duffy, in her poem “Stealing” reveals the persona and encourages a degree of sympathy on the part of the reader.
In the first stanza the thief begins as if repeating a question someone has asked him. This makes me think that the thief is perhaps talking to someone or being interviewed. “The most unusual thing I ever stole?” It is also a rhetorical question and the thief makes it quite clear that he is not new to the world of thievery by saying “I ever stole”. His answer was “A Snowman.” And by keeping his answer short you feel that he wants to get straight to the point. I feel that it starts to become clear now that he cares more about the affection from inanimate objects. “Midnight” The thief wants everything to seem grand and mysterious and by using this word it adds the perfect affect. It is a scary time of night and this is obviously very appealing for him. The snowman is referred to as “a tall, white, mute”. Duffy has made this line stand out in the poem by making it monosyllabic. It is made to stand out because it gives away some clues about the thief’s personality. “White” gives the snowman a very blank and clinical persona while “mute” shows that the thief likes to challenge people when he knows that he will gain something from it. He thinks of the snowman as a person who cannot contradict and it is a very negative thing to say about somebody. “I wanted him, a mate” this made me realise that the thief has become quite controlling but I also started to feel sorry for him. He is truly lonely, there is a definite devoid of emotion and he is craving affection. “With a mind as cold as a slice of ice” is made very chilling as it is monosyllabic and it is assonant. It is also a metaphor so you build up a very clear image of what is being described. He has an odd way of thinking as it is impossible to have a cold mind and to think that he wants to see that is very strange.
“Better off dead than giving in,” This is a very striking way to start a stanza as the thief comes across as quite confused. It is also very drastic and he seems to have a degree of will power when he says this. He then goes on to say “not taking what you want.” I think he has forgotten that he has just stolen an inanimate object and he is morally bemused. When he says “what you want” it seems like he expects everybody to act the same way, like it is general behaviour for people. “His torso frozen stiff, hugged to my chest,” He is again dehumanising and this portrays his inability to see life properly as well as the inappropriate context. He then goes on to say, “A fierce chill piercing my gut.” All the words combine to give you a perfect image of just how cold it is but also how much he likes it. “The thrill was knowing that children would cry” I think that deep down, he didn’t steal that snowman because he wanted it, I think he steals happiness and he feeds off grief. This is sick behaviour and it may be because he is envious of what others have and simply trying to get revenge and now you realise that he is a lot more complex than just a common thief. “Life’s tough.” This is said as if to justify it and it comes across very strongly.
In the third stanza the thief drifts away from his present actions and speaks his thoughts. He boastfully tells us “sometimes I steal things I don’t need.” By referring to himself twice with the use if “I” it illustrates his narcissistic behaviour. “Break into houses just to have a look.” He is proving that what he does has no point and I think that he wants us to know that for vindictive reasons. “I’m a mucky ghost, leave a mess,” He is pathetic seeing that he feels he must leave a mark. By using “Ghost” he gives me the impression that he feels unseen and unheard and there is a deeper meaning behind this. He then casually tells us that he might “pinch” a camera. It is worth little to him but much more to those whose memories are recorded in it. This is another example of his twisted behaviour. He likes feeling powerful and he knows that it is much scarier to wake up in the morning to realise that you have had intruders when nothing has been stolen because it leaves you feeling unsafe and insecure. I think he does this because he wants others to indirectly feel the way he may have felt his entire life. “I watch my gloved hand” this is creepy behaviour and makes me feel uncomfortable as it makes him seem more in control. One word that stands out in the last line is “Mirrors.” This one word is a sentence on its own and helps to keep it separate. It proves how egotistical he really is. He likes to watch, and see himself as it maybe makes him feel more direct.
By stanza three he is back to the present and he begins to reassemble the snowman. Not surprisingly “he didn’t look the same.” It is obvious that after all his hard work he realises how angry he is. “I took a run and booted him.” Again he refers to the snowman as an animate human. “Booted” begins to show some signs of hostility. It has gone to waste and all he can do is destroy his stolen masterpiece, “Again. Again.” the use of repetition reinforces his anger and devastation. “My breath ripped out in rags.” This whole section reflects the brutality of his actions and the anger he is feeling. He is furthermore becoming violent which is so far something we have not seen, with the use of “ripped”. All he is left with is left with is “lumps of snow,” and strangely enough this seems to depict the nature of his stealing in a emblematic way as this is always what seems to happen and he gains nothing but the remains of his mistakes. “Sick of the world.” this is what he has been getting at through the whole poem but it is only now that he says it. It is almost like he feels the world is sick of him and it all comes down to revenge. It is in the final stanza that the thief’s real motivation surfaces, “Boredom.” This comes from his incapability to do something he truly enjoys. For example, he steals a guitar and thinks he “might learn to play.” But you know he never could as it requires patience which is something he lacks. And he “nicked a bust of Shakespeare.” This is a very interesting phrase because it mixes some very informal slang “nicked” with “Shakespeare”. They are complete opposites and they work together to show the thief’s uninformed view towards possessions. “The snowman was strangest.” And it definitely was, it had no purpose, no value and no major effect on anything because snow is not a permanent material and can be rebuilt. It is one part of his personality that I cannot understand. The final line of the poem is very striking for the reason that it recalls the poems opening with the use of a question and is clearly spoken to someone whether it is the reader or whoever may be speaking or interviewing him. “You don’t understand a word I’m saying, do you?” This is disturbing because the reader doesn’t understand what he is saying. The thief knows the answer yet he still asks the question and I think this is for reassurance that he is correct and he in his own opinion will always remain more powerful as he challenges people. Carol Ann Duffy depicts the mind of this thief very well. She clearly shows the personality of the thief and you would never have thought that you would ever have slightest degree of sympathy for him but I do. After you realise the thief’s motives you see that he has a negative personality and outlook on life. He comes across as cold, egotistical, uncaring, nasty and destructive but because of Duffy’s word choice when describing the thief and his behaviour it is made clear to you that all his life he has simply lacked what others had and this lead to his envious behaviour. He is not dangerous and never poses any threat to anyone but himself and that is why I feel sorry for him and also why the more I read the poem, the more his persona progressively grew on me.