The Sardonic Arm

"The Sardonic Arm" by Maxwell Bodenheim is a compilation of poems and short stories from the early 1900s that examines American culture, art, and what it means to be human, using bright images and thoughtful ideas. The poems are gloomy but also sarcastic, showing a search into what humans are like now that the world is becoming more and more about machines. The collection talks about many different topics, from how fake society can be to the tough emotional fights that people have inside themselves. There are also reflections on how simple nature is. There are also complicated stories with characters like Captain Simmons, as well as examples of women like the stenographer and the housewife. His works are a criticism and display what art was like back then, showing how realism and romance were in conflict with each other. Bodenheim uses figures of speech and mocking words to make the reader think about the strangenesses and conflicts in life, giving a mocking but thoughtful look at what humans go through.