Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Crickets" by Margaret Atwood is a reflective and evocative poem that intertwines the natural world with human existence, exploring themes of survival, the passage of time, and the intrinsic connection between humans and the environment. Through the presence of crickets in a house as summer transitions into winter, Atwood delves into the complexities of human attitudes towards nature, affluence, and mortality.

The poem opens with the imagery of September, wild asters, and fox grapes, setting a scene that is both vibrant and tinged with the foreboding of winter. The "indigo taste of winter already blooming inside them" suggests the inevitability of change and the cycle of life and death that pervades the natural world. The arrival of crickets inside the house seeking warmth signifies a breach of the traditional boundaries between human spaces and nature, prompting a reflection on coexistence and intrusion.

The crickets' invasion is described with a sense of unease, as they "creep into the stove and behind the refrigerator, make sorties across the floor, singing to one another." Their presence is both a curiosity and a nuisance, a reminder of the wild that persists even in human-dominated landscapes. The repetition of "Here, here, bere, bere" captures the crickets' persistent call, a form of communication that is alien yet oddly familiar.

The human response to the crickets—stepping on them "by mistake" or throwing them "out the door"—reveals a conflicted relationship with these small creatures. The description of crickets as "dozens of wriggling black consciences" personifies them as bearers of guilt or moral reminders, challenging the reader to consider the implications of human actions on other forms of life.

Atwood contrasts the crickets' natural instinct for survival with human affluence, stating, "Inside, they'd die of hunger. / We have become too affluent." This affluence is marked by a disconnection from the cycles of nature—there are no "harvests or granaries, only tables and chairs." The poem suggests a loss of simplicity and a move away from the rhythms of the natural world that sustain life.

The reference to the fable of the ant and the grasshopper further explores the theme of survival and the human tendency to oscillate between hoarding and squandering. The crickets, however, are "censored" from this narrative; they do not fit neatly into human moralizing about work and leisure. Atwood notes, "We have no crickets on our hearths. We have no hearths," underscoring a disconnect from tradition and the natural world.

The closing lines of the poem are haunting, as the crickets' "small timid voices" become indistinguishable from "the hordes of the starved dead" and "our heartbeats." This conflation of the crickets' songs with human mortality and the relentless passage of time serves as a powerful reminder of our own vulnerability and the interconnectedness of all life. The crickets, with their "cheap" ticking and "small tin mementoes," evoke a sense of urgency and a poignant awareness of the fleeting nature of existence.

"Crickets" is a masterful exploration of the boundaries between human and non-human worlds, the complexities of coexistence, and the profound lessons that can be drawn from the simplest elements of nature. Through the motif of crickets seeking refuge from the cold, Atwood invites readers to reflect on the broader themes of survival, change, and the enduring presence of the natural world in our lives.

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