Self-Sacrifice For Art

“At the Crossroads, Highways 61 and 49” explores the pervasive legend of blues musician Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil in exchange for musical prowess. This scene has become a recurring trope in speculative literature and film, often used to carry such themes as the pursuit of art and the tension between creativity and mortality. The poem’s title invites this wide breadth of understanding, so that the reader comes to the work with these genre conventions already in place. In the fourth line, the speaker questions what the solicitor is really after: “That all you want is Fame?” (Line 4). This suggests that what Johnson is asking for isn’t inspiration or a groundbreaking body of work, but to become known for his art.

Ironically, Robert Johnson was not overly technically proficient by today’s musical standards; however, his relatively rudimentary playing went on...