Bag of Mice by Nick

Flynn
‘Bag of Mice’ by Nick Flynn is a powerful poem that describes a speaker’s
dream and a listener’s suicide note.

The poem uses numerous images and symbols to depict the aftermath of
someone’s suicide, as seen within a dream. From the bag to the shorn field
and the mice, ‘Bag of Mice’ has a great deal to offer, and readers are likely to
find themselves continually stumbling upon additional meaning they hadn’t
previously seen.

Explore Bag of Mice

 1 Summary
 2 Detailed Analysis
 3 Themes
 4 Structure and Form
 5 Literary Devices
 6 FAQs
 7 Similar Poetry
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Summary
‘Bag of Mice’ by Nick Flynn is a memorable poem that conveys the elements of
a dream and loss the speaker suffered.

The first line tells the reader that they’re about to hear about a dream. In this
dream, the speaker came upon someone’s suicide note. This belonged to
someone they cared deeply about. When they opened it, the bag caught fire,
and the mice inside it ran out into the field. The bag burnt, and the letters
disappeared along with it. As they burnt, the writer’s voice was released into
the air like a song, and the mice grew “wilder.”

You can read the full poem here.

Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
I dreamt your suicide note
was scrawled in pencil on a brown paperbag,
(…)
& as the burning reached each carbon letter
of what you’d written

In the first stanza of ‘Bag of Mice,’ the speaker begins by with a strange and
surprising image. It’s one that most readers are not going to be expected and
which should “hook” one into the text. The speaker describes a dream they
had where they found “your” suicide note on a brown paper bag, and in the
bag were “six baby mice.” The mice are an interesting addition to this piece
that, as the poem progresses, grow more and more important.

Readers should also note the use of ampersands in these stanzas. By using “&”
instead of “and,” the poet is attempting to make the lines sound more causal
and more colloquial. These are simple statements about an incredibly
emotional situation. This creates an interesting juxtaposition.

The bag, after opened, starts to smolder. It’s on fire, and the fire is burning
down the paper, reaching each “carbon letter” that “you” wrote. This is
incredibly symbolic. By opening the bag, letting the mice out across “a shorn
field,” the speaker has triggered a release. It’s only through these moments
that they’re coming to terms with the suicide and the choices “you” made. The
“shorn” field is another symbol, one that represents a loss of resources or the
end of a season. The bounty that once grew there is gone. All that’s left is the
barren remnants of the season.

Stanza Two
your voice released into the night
(…)
grew wilder.

The second stanza is only three lines long. In it, the beauty of ‘Bag of Mice’ is
realized. The burning letters released “your voice…into the night.” Rather than
sorrow, this evokes a feeling of freedom and peace. It’s something necessary
and something healing for the person who experienced it.

The intended listener, someone who committed suicide, at least in the

speaker’s dream, leaves the world like a “song” and rings out the wild nature
of the mice. They run “wilder” than they did before as if celebrating and
relishing in the “song” of “your” voice.

Themes
Flynn engages with themes of loss and suicide in ‘Bag of Mice.’ By using
beautiful natural images, the poet conveys a series of events around
someone’s death. There is a great deal of figurative language in this poem. It
creates a specific image around the listener’s death that’s compelling and
peaceful. The speaker doesn’t spend time mourning their loss in the lines of
the poem. Instead, it’s more about allowing a release to occur and even
celebrating their life.

Structure and Form

‘Bag of Mice’ by Nick Flynn is a two-stanza poem that is divided into one set of
ten lines and another set of three lines, known as a tercet. These lines do not
follow a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. They range in length from
one word up to eight and use a variety of literary techniques. There are a few
examples of rhyme in the poem, though, including an instance of exact rhyme.
The word “bag” ends lines three and seven, and “paperbag” ends line two.

Literary Devices
Nick Flynn makes use of several literary devices in ‘Bag of Mice.’ These include
but are not limited to:

 Epistrophe: occurs when the same word or words are used at the
end of lines. For example, “mice” at the ends of line five of the first
stanza and line two of the second stanza.
 Alliteration: seen through the repetition of the same consonant
sound at the beginning of words. For example, “bag” and “baby”
in line three of the first stanza and “bottom” and “bag” in line
seven.
 Caesura: can be seen when the writer includes a pause in the
middle of a line. For example, “from the top down. The mice” and
“across a shorn field. I stood over it.”
  Enjambment: occurs when the poet cuts off a line before its
natural stopping point—for example, the transition between lines
one and two as well as lines five and six.

FAQs
What is the tone of ‘Bag of Mice?’
The tone is peaceful. The speaker calmly and clearly relays the events of their
dream. It’s clear the scenes are emotional, but their emotions do not get in the
way of what they’re trying to share.

Why did Nick Flynn write ‘Bag of Mice?’

Flynn wrote ‘Bag of Mice’ in order to share a particular emotional state. It’s
unclear whether this piece was inspired by real events, but it does convey a
very interesting and memorable vision of what death brings.

What is the meaning of ‘Bag of Mice?’

The meaning is that loss can take many forms and when it comes, releasing
what’s been lost is the only way to achieve peace. The image of “your” voice
being released into the air like a song is incredibly moving.

What is the mood of ‘Bag of Mice?’

The mood is solemn and contemplative. Readers are likely to walk away from
this peace feeling moved by what they’ve read and inspired to consider the
complexity of the images used.

Similar Poetry
Readers who enjoyed ‘Bag of Mice’ should also consider reading some related
poems. For example:

 ‘Suicide’s Note’ by Langston Hughes – is a short emotional poem

that speaks very simply and peacefully on life, suicide and death.
 ‘Lady Lazarus’ by Sylvia Plath – is one of the best poems of Sylvia
Plath and an ideal example of Plath’s diction. This poem contains
Plath’s poetic expression of her suicidal thoughts.
 ‘Wind’ by Ted Hughes – takes place over the course of one night:
a family, cowering inside a house, listens as a fierce storm
rampages outside.