Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "The Quarrel" offers a stark and poignant reflection on the nature of silence within the context of a personal conflict. Through its concise and deliberate imagery, the poem explores the profound impact of unspoken tension, particularly within relationships, and how silence can become a monument to unresolved feelings and emotional distance.

The poem begins by considering what might serve as a "monument to silence." Pastan quickly dismisses traditional, natural images associated with quiet—first, the tree "whose leaves / murmur continuously / among themselves." Though trees are often symbols of tranquility and endurance, the constant rustling of leaves indicates that even in stillness, there is movement and sound. This murmuring reflects the idea that nature, even at its quietest, is never truly silent, suggesting that silence in this context must be something deeper, more profound.

Next, Pastan considers a "pond / whose seeming stillness / is shattered / by the quicksilver / surfacing of fish." Here, the pond initially appears to embody silence with its still surface, but this is an illusion quickly disrupted by the "quicksilver" movement of fish. The pond's tranquility is easily broken, implying that true silence—especially the kind that the speaker is experiencing—is something more enduring and unyielding.

In the final stanza, Pastan reveals the true monument to silence: "it would be you / standing so upright, so unforgiving." This shift from the natural world to the personal introduces the central emotional conflict of the poem. The speaker describes the other person, presumably a partner or close relation, as embodying silence through their rigid, "unforgiving" stance. The image of this person standing "upright" suggests a cold, impenetrable posture, one that is unresponsive and resolute in its refusal to engage.

The silence between the speaker and the other person is not a peaceful or natural quiet but a charged, painful one. The "mute back" that "deflect[s] / every word I say" captures the essence of emotional distance and rejection. The back turned away is a powerful symbol of disconnection, emphasizing that the silence in this relationship is not merely the absence of sound but a deliberate act of withholding, a refusal to communicate or reconcile.

"The Quarrel" ultimately portrays silence as something that can be more oppressive and hurtful than any spoken words. Pastan's use of imagery—first from nature, then from the intimate dynamics of a relationship—underscores the tension between appearances and reality. While silence might seem peaceful or serene from the outside, within the context of a conflict, it becomes a barrier, a wall that separates and alienates.

This poem succinctly captures the pain of unspoken conflict and the emotional chasm it creates between people. Through its careful choice of images and its focus on the personal, "The Quarrel" offers a powerful meditation on the ways silence can be both a shield and a weapon, and how it can leave deep, lasting scars in relationships.

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