Messy Room

Born in Chicago on September 25, 1930, Sheldon Allan Silverstein grew up to attain an enormous public following, but always preferred to say little about himself. “When I was a kid,” he told Publishers Weekly in 1975, “I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn’t play ball. I couldn’t dance. So I started to draw and to write. I was lucky that I didn’t have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style.

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or–
Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

In “Messy Room” by Shel Silverstein, the narrator is criticizing the owner of this very messy space. The descriptions are all very humorous, especially appealing to Silverstein’s main intended audience—children. The ending of the poem is very ironic, after we see the narrator reprimanding the messy inhabitant; we learn that he is the owner himself. The underlying message of the poem seems to be that before you criticize those around you, take a deep look at yourself before you are faced with a rather embarrassing situation. It is important to straighten out the “mess” in your own life and to recognize that it is okay not to be perfect. Silverstein’s poems are unique, even though this is a children’s poem, it is appealing to audiences of all ages and can be interpreted from different age standpoints. Silverstein’s use of slant rhyme helps to tie the poem together while giving it a more child-like feel. The room itself could also be a metaphor for one’s life. Also, the incorporation of nature into this decaying bedroom implies that when a man made space is not taken care of or properly maintained, nature will have its way with it and the space will be taken over by its original inhabitant. The details about the “mucky and damp” chair along with the “lizard named Ed” both incorporate a sense of nature without being overpowering. This poem, along with many other Silverstein poems, was read to me as a child and I find it extremely interesting now that I am older to go back and understand what the poems are really saying as oppose to just being funny stories.

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