Sexuality Themes in Langston Hughes' "Trumpet Player"

Langston Hughes' poem "Trumpet Player" uses certain phrases and descriptions that allude to sexual themes.

The music From the trumpet at his lips Is honey Mixed with liquid fire. The rhythm From the trumpet at his lips Is ecstasy Distilled from old desire — (Hughes, 17-24)

Hughes compares the trumpet player's lips to honey. This is describing the music, but Hughes is mentioning lips here, which is interesting. Furthermore, Hughes furhers the parallel from honey to liquid fire. This transition moves the theme from sweet to passion. This makes the description more intense. The stanza ends with the rhythm of the music being described as ecstasy and desire. This alludes strongly to love-making. The entire stanza quoted above starts sweet and moves seamlessly into lust (Vaziri 3).

In terms of LGBTQ themes, "Hughes portrays the trumpet player as an exceptionally strong, masculine figure, but writing from the female subjectivity does not eliminate the probability that Hughes shares this same-sex desire [Donnelly]" (Vaziri 3). Vaziri points out that Hughes "undermines traditional gender expectations by exploring the masculinity of another male, thus affirming that men should be able to admire other men without fear of scrutiny" (4).

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Desire That is longing for the moon Where the moonlight's but a spotlight In his eyes, Desire That is longing for the sea Where the sea's a bar-glass Sucker size. (Hughes 25 - 32)

The quote above starts with desire. Hughes describes the trumpet player's eyes in a way that makes it seem as though the narrator is staring intently at him. "Hughes repetition of the word “desire” not only describes the appeal of the trumpet player, but also the desires of the trumpet player" (Vaziri 4).

References

Hughes, Langston. "Trumpet Player". “Trumpet Player - Langston Hughes.” PoemHunter.com, www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/langston-hughes/trumpet-player/.

Vaziri, Kiara. “WriterSalon.” The Complex Feminist Ideal in the Wife of Bath's Prologue : :: Writersalon ::14 Dec. 2017, www.writersalon.com/literary_criticism/hidden-sexuality-in-james-mercer-langston-hughes-poetry.