Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part K (2025)

Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself is a seminal text in American literature that articulates a profound and evolving understanding of the self. This paper explores how Whitman constructs the self as both physical and spiritual, grounding identity in the body while simultaneously elevating it toward the realm of the soul. The poem’s speaker embarks on a journey of self-realization that transcends conventional boundaries of individualism, embracing a democratic vision of interconnectedness with all living beings. The paper examines how Whitman’s celebration of the body is central to his definition of the self. He dismantles traditional dualisms between body and soul, treating the physical form not as an impediment to spirituality but as its essential counterpart. The tactile imagery, references to the senses, and raw physicality of the poem underscore Whitman’s belief that the divine resides in the corporeal.

At the same time, the poem gradually shifts focus to a transcendental understanding of the self. Whitman invokes themes of death, cosmic unity, and rebirth to suggest that the self is not fixed but fluid, expanding infinitely beyond the physical into the eternal. Through metaphysical inquiries and spiritual assertions such as the merging of the self with nature and the universe the poem maps a journey from bodily awareness to spiritual awakening. This research ultimately argues that Song of Myself presents the self not as a singular, isolated entity but as a universal and evolving force. By intertwining body and soul, the poem challenges traditional notions of identity and offers a vision of selfhood that is inclusive, boundless, and profoundly democratic.