The limitations and weaknesses inherent in Pratt's writing are especially evident in "The Parable of Puffsky," which propagates racist stereotypes under the guise of an anti-materialist message. Pratt's tendency is towards facile cultural generalizations. The poet's considerable prosodic skill enables him to didactically underline his ideas; for example, the reiteration of masculine rhymes lend considerably to the declarative -- and thus authoritarian -- nature of the poem. Since "Puffsky" is apparently an anti-materialist piece of work, the racial undertones are usually overlooked.
