Are you There God? It's Me, the speaker of Sonnet 29. That's right. We did just compare one of our favorite Judy Blume novels to Shakespeare. Why's that? Because the speaker of Sonnet 29 is seriously ticked off at God and is having a major spiritual crisis, that's why. When the sonnet opens, he complains that God's been giving him the cold shoulder during one of the worst moments in his life...and our speaker is not happy about it. But don't worry, Shmoopsters. Our guy recovers his spirituality by the end of the sonnet. We're just not sure it has anything to do with God. In the end, it's the love of another human being that pulls our speaker from the depths of despair and makes him feel good again.
Questions About Religion
- The speaker makes a big deal out of the fact that he thinks God has been ignoring him. Do we ever find out why?
- What is it, exactly, that renews the speaker's spiritual happiness in this sonnet?
- Why does our speaker compare himself to a "lark" that sings at "heaven's gate"?
- Why doesn't our speaker ever say the word "God" in this sonnet?
Chew on This
The speaker never says God's name (and instead refers to "heaven") in this sonnet because he's angry. Dude feels like God has let him down.
By the end of the sonnet, the speaker decides that the "sweet love" of a human being is more spiritually satisfying than a close relationship with God. All's well that ends well?