The River of Hopes and Dreams — an Analysis of Sleeping on the Mississippi
Alec Soth’s Sleeping by the Mississippi engages with America’s secret underbelly by providing a medium for the seldom-told story of the hermits left disparaged by the American dream. In Soth’s representation of a fetishized view of what America pretends to be and what the real America looks like; he reveals something disconcerting about how these two worlds are intimately connected yet simultaneously segregated. Themes of melancholy and failure are consistent throughout each photograph featured in Soth’s collection. His lens captured the disheveled bottles of riverside bonfire booze, peeling manila wallpaper, and the sunken eyes of women and men alike who have seen brutal hardship. Juxtaposed behind these dark figures lies a seemingly dreamlike idol of the ever elusive and rarely achieved American dream. Is it an idol to describe hope? Happiness? Success? Whatever the American dream really is, those who have yet to attain it are much more easily recognized. Those who are left behind are the focal point of Soth’s project.
The image, Charles, of a man standing outside what looks to be his home really stood out to me as the culmination of Soth’s work. Dressed in airplane pilot garb and grasping two planes hung in eternal kinetic stillness, the man evokes sadness. He brings to mind the whimsical wishes of a young child who confidently proclaims one day I will be an airplane pilot. I will soar in the sky with the wind to my back. Darkly contrasting this clear image of success is one of failure. The man may have wished to stream the skies with weightless freedom and endless wander yet he stands firmly upon the ground adjacent to his home. One could not imagine a more sullen thought. The dark ground that support the man is contrasted in color by the light bright sky behind him. An allusion to the unattainable yet ever present wishes the man holds deeply within his own heart as compared to his meager reality. The background is partially cloaked in the visual limbo of blur, a connection to the undefined vision the man had for himself as a pilot. In terms of composition, Soth arranged the photograph such that the man is front and center: he is crisply presented without blur and many of the leading lines direct the eye to his center of mass. This places the emphasis of the message on the man himself as opposed to the long sullied dreams he embodies. Soth’s focus on the Americans themselves is an attempt to draw the viewer into the world of Sleeping on the Mississippi’s subjects. It garners empathy and acts in a way as a defense of the downtrodden.
The various messages encapsulated within Alec Soth’s images are a direct reflection of his very own soul. Soth was purportedly very shy as a child growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota according to various interviews with the artist (artnet). This sense of isolation and first person view of America from the nation’s outcasts presented in Sleeping on the Mississippi are uniquely delivered through the lens of Alec Soth’s personal experiences. The special connection the viewer cultivates with Soth’s subjects is made possible through the innate understanding that Soth harbors with these people himself. The eyes of the people featured in Sleeping on the Mississippi have a certain quality of familiarity when your gaze meets theirs. I find it beneficial to decipher the meaning of each image by utilizing the valuable knowledge that Alec Soth’s life plays a crucial role in the creation of each and every photograph.
The grand Mississippi River has long been a symbol of hope and transcendence in American culture. Soth masterfully weaves this allusive meaning throughout Sleeping on the Mississippi in order to add an extra dimension of significance his photos. The collection’s focus is centered around the core ideas of hope and despair. The hope for a better future and despair in respect to one’s current situation are historically tied to the Mississippi River. Before the dawn of the iron horse, waterways such as the Mississippi River were the main means of transportation for tradable goods and people alike. Natal cities grew from the constant nourishment of the Mississippi into urban powerhouses such as Minneapolis, Memphis, New Orleans, St. Lewis, and myriad others. In other words, the Mississippi was the geographic heart of the American spirit. It’s rushing waters provided the means of creation for much of what we take for granted today. Americans of generations past were never quite satisfied with their current circumstances. And so, in the true American spirit, they worked diligently to improve their lives and country. This same mentality is represented well in Alec Soth’s collection and is vital to fully comprehending its significance.
Joshua, Angola State Prison, Louisiana stands out as an exceptionally powerful image as it contrasts hope and circumstance with extreme clarity. The photograph features an inmate positioned in the center of the image with the words preacher man written about the collar of his shirt. Evidently, the prisoner is a man of faith despite his incarceration. He holds steadfast in his hope for the future through his belief in God. Alec Soth draws a parallel between this man’s faith and the ever present symbol of the Mississippi River which works wondrously seeing as both serve to represent advancement. The man uses God to move forward from day to day just as Americans have historically used the Mississippi River to physically move forward. In a way, the subject of this photo represents something innate about the American spirit: the drive to move forward in the face of hardship.
Sleeping on the Mississippi is a profound narration on the state of America’s lower class. It breaks class barriers that usually serve to prevent people from seeing how the other side really lives. While those who are downtrodden may be vilified and made to be seen as basking in their own failures, Soth challenges these ideas by giving a face to these often dehumanized figures. The powerful symbolism that connects each photo in the collection is effective in bringing layers of meaning to the set of images as a whole. While some of the pictures may have meanings that are elusive when viewed individually, the continuity between each one gives the entire Sleeping on the Mississippi a very eloquent and cohesive feel.
Works Cited
“Alec Soth.” Claudio Bravo Biography — Claudio Bravo on Artnet, Pace Gallery, www.artnet.com/artists/alec-soth/biography.
Soth, Alec. “Charles.” Alec Soth, 2002, alecsoth.com/photography/?page_id=14.
Soth, Alec. “Joshua, Angola State Prison, Louisiana.” Alec Soth, 2002, alecsoth.com/photography/?page_id=14.
