Miss

A Closer Look at "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers"

Kate Kessel

Comp II, Dr. Kusnetz

February 22, 2005

The poem "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich was written in 1950. At first glance, it appears to be a feminist piece whose sole purpose is to point out the ways in which a particular woman (Aunt Jennifer) is oppressed. However when a closer look is given, there is much more to this piece. When the poem is read line by line, much more meaning can be gleaned from it.

"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers prance across a screen," the screen would seem to be a tapestry of some kind on which Aunt Jennifer stitched tigers. "Bright topaz denizens," the tiger Aunt Jennifer stitched are a bright green-blue, possibly symbolizing royalty, truth and growth all at the same time. Topaz is also a semiprecious stone which comes in an array of different colors, quite a few birth stones are varying shades of topaz. The most common colors are blue and amber. Amber topaz would be about the color of a physical tiger. Blue topaz is December's birthstone, possibly symbolic of the winter of Aunt Jennifer's life, either physically or psychologically.

"They do not fear the men beneath the tree" this line is used more to point out the fact that Aunt Jennifer is afraid of men, rather than to state the fact that a tiger would not be afraid of man. The word man here directly refers to 'male' rather than to 'mankind.' However, a tiger might be afraid of a man. Men can be just as fierce as any animal nature made. This might be a slight joke on the part of the author. Maybe women are not the only beings that fear men.

The fact that the men are beneath the tree might be implying that they are relaxing in the shade while Aunt Jennifer is in the house. Though the tigers are obviously not pacing, this line leads me to consider if Aunt Jennifer stitched the tigers on some kind of flag which flies over the tree her husband is lounging beneath. When the wind blows, the tigers would seem to move. The fact that the tigers not only move, but "pace in sleek chivalric certainty" seems to paint a picture of what the author, or Aunt Jennifer, believes to be ideal behavior. The tigers are strong and graceful, noble and proud, assertive and aggressive. Aunt Jennifer seems to desire these traits.

"Aunt Jennifer's fingers fluttering through her wool," a good guess is that the tigers were stitched onto wool. Aunt Jennifer's "fluttering" fingers serve to evidence her industrious nature, a trait that has been so valued in women since time began. However, Aunt Jennifer's fingers "find[ing] even the ivory needle hard to pull" might suggest that customary expectations are becoming difficult for her to live up to. The needle being ivory is interesting. In the fifties, needles were made out of metal. An ivory needle might be a symbol of past years, when women lived in much the same way as Aunt Jennifer. At the same time the needle symbolizes the exotic; the ivory probably coming from Africa (a place Aunt Jennifer will never see).

Aunt Jennifer is also becoming weak. She tires easily at a task that she finds to be her only escape from her own life. "The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band" implies that Aunt Jennifer's marriage is taxing her. Instead