Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Updike’s poem "Aerie" provides a vivid glimpse into a moment captured within the walls of a hospital, extending its narrative reach to contemplate the intersections of human and animal needs, the mundane and the profound. Set in an unusual location for poetic exploration—a hospital barbershop—Updike’s poem blends the ordinary with the surreal, infusing the scene with a sense of both immediacy and philosophical depth.

The poem begins by guiding the reader through the hospital’s color-coded corridors and up an elevator, passing by patients who gaze out with "the indignant stare of parrots from within their cages of drugs." This simile immediately sets a tone of captivity and unnatural constraint, both for the patients and, as it soon becomes apparent, for the narrator and a seagull, the poem’s unlikely yet poignant fellow protagonist.

Arriving at the hospital's barbershop, described as a "sop to the less-than-mortal needs of its captive populace," introduces a space where mundane human desires—for grooming, for normalcy—are catered to amidst an environment of suffering and medical urgency. The barber, found sleeping across two chairs, becomes a symbol of tranquility and disconnection from the bustling urgency typical of hospital life. His slumber in this high perch above Boston, surrounded by Polaroids of "happy, shorn customers," contrasts sharply with the underlying tension and pain suggested by the surrounding hospital.

The appearance of a seagull tapping at the window introduces a parallel narrative of entrapment and longing. The bird, accustomed to being fed, finds itself confused by the glass barrier that separates it from the potential food source inside. This moment reflects back on the human condition within the hospital—patients separated from health by their conditions, the narrator and others by the routines and structures of their environment.

The encounter between the narrator and the seagull is framed as a standoff, a silent communication bridged by the window: "We two framed the problem, two sentient bookends with slumber's fat volume between us." This metaphor not only captures the shared frustration and curiosity between man and bird but also highlights their mutual entrapment and dependency on the barber, who holds the keys to their respective reliefs.

The resolution of this tension comes only with the bird’s sharper tap and the narrator's clearing of his throat, sounds that stir the barber from his sleep. The poem concludes with the barber, described as a "Demiurge," awakening to address the needs of both the narrator and the gull—feeding the bird with stale bread and presumably preparing to resume his duties for the human customer. This act, while simple, symbolizes a restoration of order and a brief bridging of the natural and human-made divides.

Overall, "Aerie" is a meditation on isolation, dependency, and the small yet significant interconnections between beings in a shared space. Updike uses the microcosm of the hospital barbershop to explore broader existential themes, crafting a narrative that resonates with poignancy and a deep sense of shared reality. The poem's rich imagery and thoughtful juxtapositions invite readers to consider the layers of barriers—physical, existential—that define and often confine our experiences.

POEM TEXT: https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1984-11-26/flipbook/046/

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