Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy’s poem "Up and Out" is a multi-layered exploration of identity, belonging, and the human impulse to escape or improve one’s circumstances. The poem is divided into four distinct sections, each of which examines different aspects of the narrator’s life and family history, using vivid imagery and poignant reflections to convey a complex relationship with home and place.

1. THE FOOT GNAWED OFF

In this section, Piercy reflects on the transient nature of neighborhoods and the aspirations of those who live in them. The metaphor of "occupying neighborhoods like roominghouses" captures the impermanence and restlessness that characterize the narrator’s upbringing. The various ethnic groups that successively inhabit the area illustrate the ever-changing urban landscape and the quest for better opportunities.

The narrator’s parents’ pastime of visiting houses they could never afford highlights a common dream of escaping to a better life. The act of fantasizing about these homes serves as a temporary escape from their reality. This yearning for a better home is juxtaposed with the reality of feeling trapped, as the narrator likens the necessity of leaving one’s home to a fox gnawing off its foot to escape a trap. The tension between the desire for stability and the need to move on is a central theme in this section.

2. SOFT COAL COUNTRY

Piercy recounts visits to her father’s family in the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania. The imagery of the rugged landscape, with its "soft coal country," reflects the harshness and struggle of life in these mining towns. The narrator’s father’s ambivalence towards his roots is palpable; he both distances himself from and reluctantly reconnects with his past.

The description of the "miners’ shanties clinging to the sides / of hogback ridges" and the "blasted through rock" roads paints a vivid picture of a challenging and unforgiving environment. The father’s need to show off his success by returning in a "nearly new car" and with a "sexy black-haired wife" underscores his internal conflict and desire to prove his worth, even as he tries to distance himself from his humble beginnings.

3. WHEN I WAS CADDY

This section shifts to a more personal reflection on the narrator’s childhood visits to her bubba (grandmother) and Aunt Ruth in Cleveland, which represents a place of cultural and familial richness. The sensory details of the synagogue, the smell of the women, and the kosher traditions contrast sharply with the sterile suburban life Aunt Ruth moves to later.

The narrator’s admiration for her aunt’s achievements and the displacement felt by her grandmother in the suburbs reveal the complexities of assimilation and the loss of cultural roots. The return to the ghetto, now partly Black, and the revival of old traditions and community life bring a sense of comfort and belonging, even as the grandmother’s eventual death and Aunt Ruth’s relentless pursuit of success reflect the inevitable changes and losses over time.

4. TOWARD A GOOD ROOTING MEDIUM

In the final section, Piercy contemplates the deeper connections to place and the importance of finding a sense of home. The wisdom of the Ojibwa and the long history of human settlement in places like Cornwall and Jericho emphasize the deep, almost sacred connection some people have with their land.

Piercy contrasts this with the transient and often disconnected modern experience, suggesting that even in urban environments, one can cultivate a sense of belonging by starting small—loving a lilac bush, a brick, or an oriole nest. The urgent call to "love it because you can’t leave it" underscores the necessity of finding and nurturing connections to place, even in the face of environmental degradation and societal upheaval.

The poem concludes with a stark reminder that there is no untouched frontier left to escape to, and that our actions have lasting impacts on the world around us. The metaphor of "the Last Chance Saloon and Health Spa" encapsulates the urgent need to take responsibility for our environment and our communities, reinforcing the idea that finding home is as much about how we treat the world as it is about where we are.

"Up and Out" by Marge Piercy is a profound meditation on the complexities of home, belonging, and the human condition. Through rich, evocative imagery and deeply personal reflections, Piercy invites readers to consider their own connections to place and the ways in which their identities are shaped by their environments and histories.

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