E. E. Cummings remains a celebrated figure in American poetry, known for his unconventional style and enduring influence. Cummings's work broke from traditional poetic forms, experimenting with syntax, punctuation, and visual presentation. He embraced lowercase letters, unusual line breaks, and creative spacing to emphasize specific words and create visual impact, disrupting traditional grammatical structures and challenging the reader's expectations.

Cummings wrote during the modernist period, a time of significant artistic innovation and upheaval. This era, marked by disillusionment with established norms, saw artists exploring new forms of expression. Cummings's poetry reflected this spirit, rejecting rigid conventions in favor of personal exploration and stylistic experimentation. Like other modernist poets, such as Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot, Cummings sought to capture the complexities of modern life through new literary techniques.

His themes often centered on love, individuality, and the beauty of the natural world, but he expressed these ideas in a way that challenged readers to reconsider familiar concepts. Walt Whitman, with his celebration of the individual and free verse style, stands as a clear precursor to Cummings's work. Today, Cummings's poetry continues to fascinate and challenge readers, inviting them to engage with language in a fresh and unexpected way. His playful use of form, combined with his poignant observations about life and love, ensures his enduring relevance in the literary landscape.