Specimen Days: Abraham Lincoln

In this entry, Whitman considers his close proximity to president Lincoln, someone by whom he was apparently fascinated. He describes the route by which he sometimes catches glimpses of he and his wife during their daily sojourns. His precise detail of certain points and sensitive representation of Lincoln's character imply a minor obsession. This entry is interesting because Whitman meditates on greatness instead of common, rustic images. However, Lincoln's greatness is enhanced to Whitman because of the simplicity of he and his wife's bearing: he respects Lincoln's reluctance to engage in the perfume of haughty civilization, instead resembling the “commonest man” in attire, and, during their occasional evening pleasure-strolls, notes the simple “equipage” of their barouche. He forgives Lincoln for an ostensible extravagance, noting that the extensive cavalry that attend upon him is “against his personal wish.”