Stanza 1

In the opening stanza of “Fiddler Crab,” Jacobsen describes the fiddler crab as it moves through its routine on the beach. The prehistoric beast “veers,” “glides,” and “dithers.” It repeats its motions endlessly, over and over, as if it is completing its necessary tasks. With this descriptive stanza, Jacobsen intends to draw similarities between the fiddler crab and other organisms. She compares the crab to a horse, stating the crab's “front legs paw the air like a stallion.” However, the crab relates to more than just a stallion. The crustacean's activities are similar to those of human beings. Both organisms go through their regular routines. Whether it is a human being moving and shifting through society or a crab veering and dithering about on the beach, both organisms are living their lives just as they believe they should.

Jacobsen also alludes to the crab's power to observe...