Roy, the Toxic Boy - Tim Burton

Today I will be posting, analysing a poem by one of my favourite writers, Tim Burton. He has done everything from movie production, to writing poetry, and always manages to bring his eccentric styles, and satire themes into his works.

Roy, the Toxic Boy is a poem written by Tim Burton.

To those who knew him
-his friends-
we called him Roy.
To others he was known
as that horrible Toxic Boy.

He loved ammonia and asbestos,
and lots of cigarette smoke.
What he breathed in for air
would make other people choke!

His very favorite toy
was a can of aerosol spray;
he'd sit quietly and shake it,
and spray it all the day.

He'd stand inside the garage

in the early-morning frost,

waiting for the car to start

and fill him with exhaust.

The one and only time

I ever saw Toxic Boy cry

was when some sodium chloride

got into his eye.

One day for fresh air
they put him in the garden.

His face went deathly pale
and his body began to harden.

The final gasp of his short life

was sickly with despair.

Whoever thought that you could die

from breathing outdoor air?

As Roy's soul left his body

we all said a silent prayer.

It drifted up to heaven

and left a hole in the ozone layer. ("Burton" 1-33)

The poem, Roy, the Toxic Boy by Tim Burton was first published in his book, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. This book is full of various poems written by the film maker Tim Burton, all themed around "gruesomely sympathetic children--misunderstood outcasts who struggle to find love and belonging in their cruel, cruel worlds" ("Burton" back cover). 

The poem Roy, the Toxic Boy is about a boy who is misunderstood by the people around him. Though he has a few friends who care about him, there are also individuals who are repulsed by the presence of him, and refer to him "as that horrible Toxic Boy" ("Burton" 5). We know some individuals are his friends as the narrator states, "To those who knew him / -his friends- / we called him Roy ("Burton" 1-3).

Based on how the narrator of the poem includes them self in calling the character 'Roy', it is possible to infer two things about the narrator. The narrator is Roy's friend, and the narrator is somewhat involved in the life, and story of Roy. Though, throughout the poem, the narrator or speaker is never directly involved. However, by using terminology such as 'I' and "we", the speaker is indirectly participating in the story. The speaker of the poem is using the voice of an Observer narrator, however is objective. The speaker never knows what Roy, or anyone else is thinking, proving that they are objective. However, they are a direct eyewitness to the story, and only tells it back as they saw it. 

Burton's poems and stories are typically intended for a more mature audience, however can be appreciated by a variety of people. In essence, this poem is intended for anyone who enjoys a macabre sense of humour, and morbid humour. Roy, the Toxic Boy is very juvenile poem, though it can be enjoyed by almost anyone as it is cute, twisted, and odd. The illustrations included within the poem add a youthful aspect to the poem, where the death of Roy, and how he dies incorporates Burton's style of macabre writing. 

As the poem is short, there is not a lot of chance for conflict, however one obvious case of conflict stands out. When Roy is put in the garden, he is left there to breathe in the outdoor air. This, inevitably, kills Roy as he cannot handle anything but toxic fumes. At first, it looks like Roy has a conflict with whoever left him in the garden, however there is no evidence proving that they left him there on purpose. Therefore, whatever ended his life, is what is responsible for this conflict. In this case, it is Man Vs. Elements. Roy faces the elements, where he is unable to survive, Therefore, the opposing force in the conflict, 'elements', kills him, and wins the conflict. But why was he left out in the garden? This leads into the theme of the poem. The theme in the poem is neglect. Roy is left in the garden, where he is neglected to the point of death.