An Interpretation of Edward Hopper’s “Gas”
by Amanda Gimbel (Grade 7)

“Gas,” a painting by Edward Hopper tells a subtle, but powerful story about the dangers of technology. In today’s world, mechanical advances seem to be gradually eclipsing the people who created them. Even small towns are un-navigable without cars to carry us from A to B and business would be pointless if it weren’t for computers to record our transactions. The painting shows an early but frighteningly accurate portrayal of this need people have for their inventions and how we may not really be served by them.

In “Gas,” a man stands beside the gas pumps but our eye is not drawn to him. We see the pumps themselves before the attendant beside them. Three huge figures, they loom above him, commanding our attention. They stand almost humanoid in appearance, robot-like with perfectly round illuminated heads sitting atop tall, rectangular bodies, completely clothed in bright red paint except for their lighted but blank faces. The eerie feeling of their humanity is intensified by the fact that they appear to have gender; the center pump’s figure is more feminine and wears a different yellow top.

The pumps are a stark contrast to the man beside them. His garb is unremarkable, a suit of washed out blue and gray and his appearance lacks any sparkle. He slowly tends the machines, a tired and ordinary worker. His lackluster fatigue causes him to hunch as he continues he task, casting a shadow over his face that shields his eyes and expression from the world.

At first this everyday scene is easy to overlook, but Hopper uses every detail to imply a meaningful conclusion. The contrast between the two, man and machine, hints at a deeper tale. The gleaming faces of the pumps look forward with sharp intent into their own bright futures, mocking the man’s dark and downcast visage. Their stance, completely erect, with every sharp line straightened, gives his posture a feeling of unfocused exhaustion and their bright red robes shame his poor outfit. While the pumps are three-strong, there is only one attendant and he lacks their powerful presence. Hopper warns us that our inventions will, in time, outdate and outnumber us and we may grow to serve them.

The environment that surrounds the station also adds to the dark mood of the painting. A tension between the forest, the abandoned road and the gas station gives new magnitude to the message. The road separates the forest and the station. No cars or people pass by, hinting that there may be no need for the pumps and adding to the isolation of the man. The unfriendly impending gloom of the dense forest, dwarfs man’s mechanical abode, perhaps showing that above-all, Nature will reign and the earth will prevail over all out bright lights.

The Legend of Clyde McAdoo
By Larry Flynn (8th Grade)

The ground covered in snow
In a place not mine
The bitterness of the air
The enormous towering pine.

I only think ‘bout what I’m doin’
Not ‘bout what I’ve done.
My tan timberland boots
Feel like they weigh a ton.

I creep behind the tree
Feel its rough hewn bark
Peek out from behind it and
See a land so stark.

Right in the middle of snow,
I see a bearded man
His eyes precise and staring
With a Colt .45 in his hand

He lifts the barrel slowly
Like he’s got nothin’ better to do
But to wander round the woods
With a wad of tobacco to chew.

He’s so cold and heartless
Like this here snowy place
As he takes the gun and points it
So that death is in my face.

“Okay you scoundrel and you fool,
You have nowhere to hide
So how ‘bout you come out.
By the Law you must abide.”

The words he uttered chilled my spine.
Yet I knew that I could win
If I went for my good ol’ Winchester
To commit another sin.