Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Janice Mirikitani’s "High Heels and False Teeth" is a heart-wrenching exploration of resilience, sacrifice, and the intergenerational weight of trauma experienced by Japanese American women. Through the speaker’s recollections of her mother’s struggles, the poem examines themes of cultural expectation, gendered oppression, and the indelible scars left by the internment camps and post-war displacement. With its unflinching portrayal of pain, longing, and survival, the poem becomes both an elegy and a critique of the societal forces that shaped the lives of women like the speaker’s mother.

The poem’s narrative is steeped in the aftermath of World War II and the internment of Japanese Americans, events that fracture the speaker’s family and redefine their lives. The opening lines situate the family in post-war Chicago, “the coldest city in the world in October,” evoking both the literal harshness of their new environment and the emotional desolation that defines their existence. The father’s abandonment for “a red-lipped woman” introduces a recurring motif of beauty and allure as both a weapon and a curse, underscoring the societal pressures placed on women to conform to idealized standards of femininity.

The mother’s sacrifices and struggles take center stage, depicted through vivid, visceral imagery. She works tirelessly, crafting “crepe-paper flowers for American Legion postwar veterans,” an act that becomes a bitter irony as she labors to beautify symbols of a system that once imprisoned her. Her tears, described as “pink paper petals,” reflect both her grief and her quiet resilience, imbuing her suffering with an almost sacred fragility.

The mother’s advice to her daughter—“Wear high-heel shoes and hide your teeth behind your hand”—reveals the internalized gender norms and survival strategies she has adopted in a world that devalues and objectifies her. The loss of her teeth, attributed to nursing and the deprivations of the internment camps, becomes a haunting metaphor for the physical toll of motherhood, war, and poverty. Her vulnerability and sense of inadequacy are compounded by her inability to access dental care, an indignity that underscores the systemic neglect faced by Japanese American families during this period.

The recurring refrain of “O how we danced on the night we were wed,” drawn from the lyrics of “Anniversary Waltz,” serves as a poignant contrast to the mother’s current reality. This memory of her wedding, with its imagery of flushed joy and romantic fulfillment, becomes a tragic echo of a life that no longer exists. The high heels, once symbols of elegance and confidence, now represent unattainable ideals, their promise of beauty and desirability rendered hollow by poverty and pain.

Mirikitani’s depiction of the dentist, Dr. Etai, adds a chilling layer to the narrative. His role as both caretaker and violator blurs the boundaries of trust and safety, reflecting the complex dynamics of power and exploitation. The mother’s plea for her child to “stand at the door and watch” underscores her vulnerability and fear, while the speaker’s own experience—“I only know that pain exists, and his hand rubbing my gums”—cements the generational transmission of trauma and helplessness.

The poem’s closing scene, where mother and daughter go shoe shopping, encapsulates the tension between hope and despair that runs throughout the narrative. The mother’s act of trying on shoes becomes an almost ritualistic attempt to reclaim a sense of self and agency, even as her “sore mouth is throbbing” and her tears fall unnoticed. The salesman’s comment, “these shoes make her look sexy even for an oriental woman,” underscores the pervasive racism and objectification she endures, reducing her worth to her appearance while marginalizing her identity.

The mother’s memory of her wedding dance, woven into the present-day scene, serves as both a source of solace and a reminder of loss. Her inability to buy the shoes she tries on reflects the broader limitations imposed by poverty, displacement, and societal expectations. The final image of her “tears like petals” crushed into her palm poignantly conveys the weight of her unspoken grief and unfulfilled dreams.

Mirikitani’s language is precise and evocative, capturing both the physical and emotional textures of the mother’s life. The interplay between past and present, memory and reality, creates a layered narrative that reflects the complexity of her experience. The poem’s tone is one of quiet devastation, balancing empathy for the mother’s struggles with a searing critique of the systemic and cultural forces that perpetuate her suffering.

High Heels and False Teeth is ultimately a meditation on resilience in the face of dehumanization and loss. Through its intimate portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship shaped by sacrifice and inherited pain, the poem invites readers to reflect on the enduring legacies of historical injustices and the quiet strength of those who bear them. Mirikitani’s work honors the unspoken stories of women like the speaker’s mother, transforming their pain into a powerful testament to survival and resistance.

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