This paper examines how self and en Masses are related in Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” While existing criticisms have dealt with the contradiction or the tension between the two, this paper tries to examine how “Song of Myself” becomes that of people in terms of Deleuze and Gattari’s rhizomatic community.
First, it shows that Whitman’s self is not solid identity but Deleuze and Gattari’s line of flight.
Secondly, it examines how this line of flight makes the rhizomatic community, which is made possible by rejecting hierarchy and connecting every walk of people. Finally, the political implication of the rhizomatic community is considered by analyzing becoming-minority. For Whitman the solidarity with “the weakest, the shallowest” is at the heart of rizomatic community, which can be perpetually be restored even if it is broken or destroyed.