Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Lot's Wife," penned by Wis?awa Szymborska, offers a revisionist exploration of the Biblical figure who was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back at the burning city of Sodom. The poem provides a nuanced perspective on her motivations, turning a cautionary tale into a textured narrative of doubt, fear, and the human urge for retrospection. It reframes Lot's wife not as a mere example of disobedience but as a complex character navigating the nuances of life-changing moments.

The poem opens with the line, "looked back supposedly curious," challenging the traditional interpretation that Lot's wife looked back solely out of curiosity. Instead, the speaker suggests a myriad of possible reasons, thereby immediately complicating the black-and-white moral of the original tale. This approach encourages the reader to see Lot's wife as a multi-dimensional figure with agency and subjective experience.

Among her motivations are regret for leaving behind material possessions, "the silver dish," and her complicated feelings toward her husband, Lot, whose "righteous nape" she could no longer bear to see. These emotions introduce a tension between personal desires and moral or divine directives. Her reasoning shifts from practical to emotional-she might have looked back out of fear, nostalgia, or even the simple, mundane act of "tying a sandal strap." The litany of reasons transforms her act into something deeply human, underscored by emotions and complicated by circumstance.

The poem also explores her relationship with her environment, from "snakes, spiders, field mice and baby vultures" to the "hot gravel and dead birds" falling from the sky. Szymborska taps into the apocalyptic landscape to show how Lot's wife is not just running from her past but also toward an uncertain future, teeming with unpredictability and danger. It makes her look back not just understandable, but also instinctive, a reaction to overwhelming change.

The phrase "If anyone saw me, they would have thought I was dancing" encapsulates the intricate blend of fear, confusion, and perhaps even a semblance of freedom that marks her final moments. Her journey ends with the ambiguous lines, "Conceivably, my eyes were open. / Possibly I fell face turned towards the city." These lines leave her fate and feelings unresolved, reflecting the inherent complexity of human decisions and the experiences that lead to them.

By revisiting this Biblical narrative, Szymborska not only gives voice to a marginalized figure but also invites us to reconsider the stories we think we know, the judgments we make, and the multifaceted nature of human motivations. "Lot's Wife" serves as an eloquent testament to the gray areas of morality, the unspoken emotional landscapes, and the often overlooked perspectives that accompany any tale of right and wrong.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...