212 "Money" ~ Victor Contoski

The theme of "Money" is that although it may seem that money can make a person happy and buy them whatever they please, it will become an unhealthy obsession that will cause problems; the money will control the person instead of the person controlling the money. The speaker of the poem is an omniscient narrator, which adds to the effectiveness of the poem because the speaker knows everything. Personally, the speaker has a feel of a grandparent trying to give you advice because they have been down that particular path and want someone to benefit from their experiences. There is a shift in the poem between the second and third stanzas. The speaker changes from telling the reader how money can be tamed and bring happiness to a more pessimistic tone, telling the reader that money will take control of you easily. This shift is effective because the poem acknowledges common beliefs that money can fix problems and buy something that will make a person happy, and then the poem acknowledges the other side of the situation. It is like giving a piece of bad news and telling the good news first to lessen the blow, but the bad news is not any easier to receive because good thoughts and hopes were just crushed from a higher level than they would have been at if someone had just given the bad news.

Contoski personifies money when he writes, "It will nest/ in your pocket/ or curl up in a corner/reciting softly to itself/ the names of the presidents," (3-7). From these lines, money is made out to be like a pet that provides pleasure to its owner. The lines are comforting when the money recites the names of the presidents to itself, like someone counting sheep to fall asleep. These lines are representative of a person becoming too comfortable with pleasure that money may be bringing them. The speaker goes on to tell the reader that money may be impressive to friends and find you love, but not true love or friendship because, as Contoski writes, "But like an amoeba/ it makes love/ in secret/ only to itself," (12-15). Contoski alludes to a microorganism that reproduces asexually to reference that money loves money; someone that becomes your friend or falls in love with you that would not have if you did not have money, is only in it for the money. The point where a person becomes obsessed with material possession and money is shown when the speaker states, "Fold it frequently/it needs exercise," (16-17). This is an allusion to someone counting or looking at their money. However, the last two stanzas are most telling of the theme of the poem, Contoski writes, "Then one day when you think/ you are its master it will turn its head/ as if for a kiss/and bite you gently on the hand./ There will be no pain/but in thirty seconds/ the poison will reach your heart," (21-29). Someone may think that they are in control of everything, but their obsession will quickly affect them, and before they no there is a problem, it may be too late; hence the poison reaching the heart with no pain felt.

Through this poem, Contoski is making a statement that money, although it may buy you nice things, those material possessions are not what is most important; in fact the happiness those items bring may be false.