'Blond Boys' - Dannie Abse.

Summary.

This is one the the Abse poems that I think also has simple story that it is telling that almost anyone can relate to, even today. So 'Blond Boys' is about Abse's youth and being supposedly in love with Eva Jones who he had claimed was his first love. We see Abse trying to prove himself to Eva by going out of his way to do so, but of course, we soon find out that Abse is rejected by Eva as his seems to prefer boys with blond hair or could is it hinting at some prejudice?

Themes explored.

Young Love -  So we see Abse reminiscing back to when he first had his true love - Eva Jones. This seems to bring back other memories in which involves Eva Jones and when Abse makes this shift into the past, we see Abse's character also change back into a young and naive teenage boy who was in love. These memories are triggered when he saw Eva Jones in Stockholm and he even describes her as his "first shy love". 

We then get the impression that during his youth, Abse was naive, vulnerable and stupid in love as Abse goes out of his way to impress Eva Jones. Abse feels as if he has to prove himself to Eva t show that he is everything that Eva looked for in a boyfriend. Abse goes back to when Eva dared him to steal Mrs Humphrey's summer apples and so here, we see how willing Abse is to do anything just so that Abse can have Eva. Abse describes his "heroic intensity of a 15 year old" which tells us that Abse was trying to come across to Eva as someone who was brave and rebellious. The fact that Abse was dared to act on what Eva told him to do shows that Eva was taking advantage of Abse's naivety and it also shows that she was in control of the whole situation.

Youth -   In Abse's memories, both of them are teenagers are were both still learning about life and searching for who they really were. As a youth, people fantasise about the things that they could make of their lives and the people in their lives as well. In 'Blond Boys' we see Abse fantasising about Eva Jones and what could possibly happen with the two. First we see Abse fantasising about Eva when she rode past him on her bike: "your skirt high, I held my breath". This shows that Abse was looking at Eva in a way that cannot be expressed by words and the sight of Eva leaves Abse speechless because of how beautiful and eloquent she looked riding her "important Raleigh bike". Their youth is also highlighted when Abse draws attention to their facial features: "Eva Jones, remember me? My acne. Your dimples". This also shows that they were going through physical changes as well as emotionally and mentally. 

Memories - Like in 'Two Photographs', Abse comes across someone from his past that bring back memories and make them come to life in the poem. Last time Abse had seen Eva was when she rejected him and made it very clear to him that she preferred blond boys. Now, Abse had happened to bump into her again, but this time she is different as she "hand in hand with her blond grandson". This shows although Eva has aged, she still prefers blond boys and probably still finds Abse "physically unattractive". Clearly, the way Eva thinks hasn't changed but what who she has become on the outside has.

Hope - Abse feels hopeful in the sense that he hopes that Eva's feelings towards Abse are mutual to his feelings towards her. We see Abse trying his hardest to connect his feelings with Eva's when he writes "I searched your searching eyes" as if he was hoping to find something in her eyes that may show that she feels as strongly as Abse does. However, the fact that Eva's eyes are also 'searching' for something suggests that she isn't clear of what exactly she wants from life and so this creates a sense of emptiness within her and being lost. The description of Eva's "searching eyes" really does contrast the way she is portrayed at the beginning of the poem because at the beginning of the poem she is presented as quite a character that makes Abse go out of his way just to impress - maybe to make her feel like she is worth taking the risk for.

However this hope of having a chance with Eva is quickly shattered as Abse is rejected by Eva. In the last stanza of the poem Eva is portrayed as a shallow and superficial character when Eva bluntly says "you have a beautiful classy mind but I find you physically unattractive". Not only is Eva portrayed as a superficial character but this also shows that she was taking advantage of the fact that Abse was so naive and willing to impress her. Eventually Abse had to have realised that Eva was only using him to satisfy her personal needs and this therefore shows that maybe Eva Jones was a lonely girl who just needed company for some time.