Themes

Though the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman may seem to be about death and victory, more subtle and more important themes are veneration, patriotism, and pain.

Veneration

The speaker in the poem clearly looks up to the captain. He admires him as a leader and as a protector, as a victor in battles and as a courageous man. All the speaker’s appeals to the captain show his profound allegiance to the man: “O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,” (l. 1); “‘Here Captain! dear father!” (l. 13)

Furthermore, he mentions the victory of the captain and his ship twice, indicating once more the speaker’s deep admiration for the captain’s deeds: “The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,” (l. 2); “From fearful trip the victor sh...