McKay’s vision of urban life as he depicts it in Harlem

In the poem “Harlem Shadows” the audience get a peak at urban life but only as outside viewers, observing people in their natural habitat. In the poem the events are not happening to the speaker rather it is things “I hear” and things “I see”. The poem depicts urban life as rather dark and it’s not just the setting. Sure it takes place at a time when “night lets fall / its veil” and that adds to it’s unpleasant feeling but it’s really the fact that the poem artistically points out things like prostitution when it states, “shapes of girls who pass / to bend and barter at desire’s call”. Harlem was a place of poverty, where women sold themselves and children ran around in “summer jackets” even when the wind was strong and cold. McKay’s word choice in general really emphasizes the negative perspective of Harlem as he writes, “sick and heavy air”, “swallowed in the deafening roar”, & “captive winds”. Words such as “sick”, “swallowed”, “deafening” & “captive” all have rather harsh and negative connotations and she creates this strong contrast between the dark and sinful Harlem and “islands of lofty palm trees blooming”. By concluding the poem with beautiful description of an island with a calming night, fresh and free the negativity of the always moving Harlem night filled with footsteps, crowds, desired calls, and deafening roaring winds is highlighted even more. McKay doesn’t seem to view urban life pleasantly and he almost makes it seem as though it is not where he belongs. That in Harlem he simply observes and his heart lies in the fresh, free fields, with palm trees and tropic seas.