Upstairs Analysis \"To the One Upstairs:\" God

¶ … Upstairs analysis

"to the One Upstairs:" God as Boss

In "To the One Upstairs," Charles Simic personifies God by comparing the deity to a boss at an office or workplace. While Simic's references and analogy may be considered to be somewhat unorthodox, and possibly heretical and blasphemous. There are several aspects of the poem that help to make it unique and discriminate it from other literary works. Some elements that allow "To the One Upstairs" to be engaging and draw the reader in include the poem's theme, the personification of God, and the analogy that Simic is able to draw between a boss and God.

"To the One Upstairs" draws upon Simic's personal background and his beliefs on religion, and God, are reflected in this highly religious poem. Though the poem does not name God as its subject, it is highly religious, a theme that carries through the entire poem. Simic makes reference to the belief that God is omniscient and omnipresent and considered to be the Prime Mover. Simic (1999) makes reference to this tenet by referring to the subject of his poem as "Boss of all bosses of the universe. / Mr. know-it-all, wheeler-dealer, wire-puller / And whatever else you're good at" (lines 1-3). However, Simic is quick to assert that despite the fact that God is considered to be the Prime Mover and creator of all things, he has not done much, if anything, since he created the world and points out that there is "zilch in your in-tray, zilch / In your out-tray, / And all of eternity spread about you" (lines 11-13). This analogy may appear to be blasphemous as Simic seems to imply that God does not have anything left to offer, nor does it appear as though he has anything else planned for those who believe in him. This blasphemous analogy is further emphasized when Simic asks,

Doesn't it give you the creeps

To hear them begging you on their knees,

Sputtering endearments,

As if you were an inflatable, life-size doll?

Tell them to button up and go to bed.

Stop pretending you're too busy to take notice. (lines 15-20)

The reference that Simic makes in this stanza is two-fold; the first makes reference to the futility of prayer and the second makes reference to Simic's (perceived) belief that God does not care about his followers. It is possible that Simic developed these beliefs during his childhood; Simic was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1938 and had a traumatic childhood at the milieu of World War II (Charles Simic, n.d.). Moreover, Simic sees God as being vacant and says, "Your hands are empty and so are your eyes / There's nothing to put your signature to" (lines 21-22).

In order to successfully personify God, Simic compared the deity to a boss, the position within a company or office that determines how everything is done. Simic compares God to being like a boss that does nothing yet takes credit for the work of others. Simic contends that God would have better luck "reading coffee dregs, [or] Thumbing the pages of the Farmer's Almanac" than actually accomplishing something new and original. Although God is supposed to be omniscient, Simic implies that he relies on other sources, like coffee dregs and the Farmer's Almanac, to help him make decisions.

One of the concepts that Simic introduces in the poem, and possibly one of the most interesting, is the mythological concept of a deity's "name of power" or "secret name." This concept is brought up when Simic states that "There's nothing to put your signature to. / Even if you knew your own name / Or believed the ones I keep inventing" (lines 22-24). Simic implies that God has been called by many things, but has never been called by his real name (Cornwell, 1995). Once again, Simic calls into question God's intentions; if God has kept his name hidden from the people that worship then it brings others to consider what other things, if any, has God concealed? Simic admits that he does not know what God's plan is, or what his intentions are as he "scribbles [the] note to [him] in the dark" (line 25). Being in the dark may mean that Simic has not attained a sort of religious enlightenment or that he does not understand God's greater plan.

Simic's approach to God and religion was, in my belief, controversial. One of the most infuriating comparisons that Simic makes is describing God as "an inflatable, life-size doll" (line 18). This comparison angered me because as a practicing Christian, I believe that our belief in God is reciprocated through his belief in us. Moreover, I believe that Simic fails to realize that the "boss" in faith and the "boss" at work; one "boss" holds your spiritual fate in his hands while the other "boss" determines your fate as an employee.