I woke up at 2:30am and scribbled all this down still in a half-sleeping state of mind.

We disect:
1. books (i.e. Lord of the Flies, Catch 22, Farenheit 451)
2. poems (i.e. Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Robert Frost)
line by line, examing word definitions, connotations, and rhyming schemes

All the while, looking for
hidden meanings,
undertones,
underlying themes,
anagorical backgrounds, etc.

Examing,
why did the author use this word, or phrase? why did they choose this character? or place the
book in this setting?

And after questioning all these things, you come up with answers based on the break down of the text's interpretation according to your professor.

....BUT WHAT IF THE AUTHOR NEVER MEANT FOR THAT?
....what if the author intended for nothing more than the words to be taken at face value?
....what if there were no hidden meanings of underlying themes?
....what if each word meant exactly what it meant and nothing more?
....what if each sentence had been put together cohesively, and was not intended to be broken
apart?
....what if the book/poem's lackluster message was exactly that and nothing more?


People argue that books/poems mean different things to different people, but in reality, the author always intends for it to be interpreted his/her way.

The author doesn't sit there are think, "hmmm....if I insert this word here, Jimmy will pick up on the negative connotation and he will believe it means (x), but if I use this rhyming scheme, Susan will believe it means (y), while Joe may believe it means (z)."

No, the author writes for himself.
And yes. He does intend for his work to be interpreted in a certain way; his way.

So if an author intends for his writing to be taken or interpreted his way, then why do we keep ripping the text apart?

It comes down to this...
DEEPER MEANING.

Obviously we are all searching for deeper meaning. We serach everywhere for it- books, shows, music, our own lives- but what happends if there really is no deeper meaning? What happens when a strangers smile is just a smile? What happens when people start taking things at face value?
-hopelessness
-sadness

Even if there is no deeper meaning to the classic texts of our time, even if the author never meant for there to be a deeper message, it is key that we keep searching for it. because when we stop looking, that is when we will truly be lost.