Commerce vs. Authenticity

Where it surfaces

• New Hampshire

  The poem contrasts the commercial boasting of outsiders with New Hampshire's pride in having nothing to sell, and criticizes the shame of trade through the old friend's story.

• The Star-Splitter

  Brad's insurance fraud and purchase of a telescope highlight the tension between material necessity and genuine curiosity.

• The Axe-Helve

  Baptiste contrasts the inferior machine-made axe-helve with his own handcrafted, naturally grown hickory helve, emphasizing the value of authentic, artisanal work over commercial products.

• A Brook in the City

  The city's expansion and the brook's burial represent the triumph of commercial and industrial progress over authentic, natural experience, leaving only ancient maps as evidence of what was lost.