Race
One of the most important themes in Cullen's poetry is race. His work often explores the experience of being Black in America, with a focus on struggles against prejudice as well as expressions of pride and solidarity. In the poem "From the Dark Tower," the speaker shows their outrage about the white appropriation of Black people's work: "We shall not always plant while others reap / The golden increment of bursting fruit, / Not always countenance, abject and mute, / That lesser men should hold their brothers cheap." Detailing this process of exploitation, Cullen demonstrates how racism robs Black communities of their labor, while creating a system that perpetuates this mistreatment. In this poem, and many others, he shows how prejudice constantly creates obstacles in the everyday lives of Black individuals.
However, in the same poem, Cullen also describes communal pride in being Black. The speaker comments: "The night whose sable breast relieves the stark, / White stars is no less lovely being dark." They are saying that the dark parts of the sky are just as beautiful and necessary as the white stars. Here, Cullen is using metaphor to affirm the value of Black work, noting that just because it is overlooked does not make it lacking in any way. He ends the poem with a tenuous sign of hope: "So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds, / And wait, and tend our agonizing seeds." This communal "we" is tired, but still working towards a potentially brighter future. While the speaker refuses to turn away from the suffering of their community, they also show that there is more to their lives than just suffering. They summarize this idea earlier in the poem: "We were not made eternally to weep."
Love
Another important theme in Cullen's work is love. In contrast to hate and prejudice, Cullen portrays love as a source of healing, with the potential to unify diverse people and rebuild broken systems. In the poem "Tableau," he describes a proud interracial couple: "Locked arm in arm they cross the way, / The black boy and the white, / The golden splendor of the day, / The sable pride of night." Cullen uses the imagery of day and night to highlight their equivalent beauty, saying that is actually enhanced by the contrast between them. Later in the poem, he depicts them ignoring the unkind looks and words being directed at them on the street. In underscoring their beauty, Cullen portrays their relationship as something they both draw strength and protection from. In this instance, and others like it, he frames love as a powerful and essential force.
Ancestry
Related to race, ancestry is also a common theme in Cullen's work. In the poem "Heritage," the speaker describes his complicated relationship with his African roots. He describes visceral and beautiful scenes from the world of his ancestors, but seems uncertain about how to connect to them. These bombard him constantly: "So I lie, who all day long / Want no sound except the song / Sung by wild barbaric birds / Goading massive jungle herds." He finds himself caught between two worlds, seeing these intense images but feeling unable to connect to them personally. He poses this uncertainty as a question: "What is Africa to me?" This is a question Cullen discussed at length with other members of the Harlem Renaissance. They were uncertain about how aligned their work should be with their African history. For Cullen and the speaker, it is difficult to balance their African heritage with their American present. This poem, and others, capture what it means to grapple with the weight of ancestry.
Contradiction
Contradiction is also a main theme in many of Cullen's poems. He often examines the difference between how people are perceived and how they actually are. In the poem "Fruit of the Flower," the speaker studies the hidden complexity of his parents, trying to understand them more fully. While outwardly, they appear very reserved and polite, he notes that there is more to them: "And yet my father's eyes can boast / How full his life has been; / There haunts them yet the languid ghost / Of some still sacred sin." He is stating that for all of his father's propriety, he appears to be troubled by the memory of some wrongdoing or desire in his past. This runs counter to his earlier portrayal of his father's stoicism; this "haunted" moment shows that he has hidden depths. In this example, Cullen uses contradiction to add nuance to his characters, underlining overlooked moments.
Religion
Religion is another important theme in Cullen's work. He frequently discusses the complexity of Black Americans' relationship to Christianity, as it was a belief system that was imposed upon them as part of slavery. His poems often spotlight characters who are in conflict with their faith, struggling with what they have lost in accepting a Western belief system. In "Heritage," the speaker describes sensing that something is missing when he attends church: "Ever at Thy glowing altar / Must my heart grow sick and falter, / Wishing He I served were black, / Thinking then it would not lack / Precedent of pain to guide it, / Let who would or might deride it; / Surely then this flesh would know / Yours had borne a kindred woe." The speaker believes he would be able to show a stronger devotion to a God who was Black, as "He" would know firsthand what they had suffered. In the absence of this understanding, the speaker feels as though his faith is wavering. This passage highlights the way in which the speaker wrestles with what it means to be part of a belief system that is rooted in whiteness. He is torn between his racial identity and his religion. Like many of Cullen's characters, he is definitively Christianity, but he harbors doubts about it. Cullen never reaches a neat conclusion about these ideas, but rather explores how religion brings about these internal struggles.
Endurance
A major theme in Cullen's work is endurance. His poems frequently feature Black characters who are trying to endure untenable situations. These works often highlight characters' resilience while also framing their lives as a constant battle against unjust conditions. They also underscore the demoralizing effect of this kind of living. In the poem "Saturday's Child," the speaker emphasizes the difficult circumstances into which he was born. He mentions his father's comments about his birth: "For I was born on Saturday— / 'Bad time for planting a seed,' / Was all my father had to say, / And, 'One mouth more to feed.'" The harshness of his words emphasizes the lovelessness of their household. He is focused on the immediate concern of having enough food. Because of the family's struggle to survive, they cannot focus on providing emotional support and affection. Cullen uses these moments of endurance to show the toll it takes on the internal lives of his characters.
Mortality
Another important theme in Cullen's work is mortality. He writes often about death, showing grief and the aftereffects of loss. Usually, he writes about characters trying to make their peace with the absence of a loved one. In the poem, "A Brown Girl Dead," Cullen depicts the funeral of a young girl: "With two white roses on her breasts, / White candles at head and feet, / Dark Madonna of the grave she rests; / Lord Death has found her sweet. / Her mother pawned her wedding ring / To lay her out in white; / She’d be so proud she’d dance and sing / To see herself tonight." He uses the images of the carefully arranged casket to show the love of the girl's mother. As he notes, she "pawned her wedding ring" to pay for everything to be laid out elegantly. She imagines how happy this would make her daughter if she were alive to see it. Collectively, the details of the service demonstrate how her mother tried to show her one final act of love. Death has separated them, but the girl's mother still tries to give her the dignity she feels she deserves. Cullen portrays the finality of death, but also shows instances of care that people offer while paying their last respects.
