Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Venetian Candy" by John Updike is a richly detailed and reflective poem that explores themes of memory, impermanence, and the significance imbued in seemingly trivial objects. Through the lens of a pair of tourists purchasing glass candies in Venice, Updike delves into how objects are woven into the fabric of our experiences, capturing a moment that resonates far beyond its immediate context.

The poem opens with a contemplation of the future, as the speaker ponders how their "bewildered heirs" will perceive these glass candies. These objects, left behind as part of an estate, symbolize the puzzling remnants of past lives that future generations must sort through. The description of the candies as "cunning feignings of hard candy in glass" immediately sets them apart as unique artifacts, crafted to deceive the eye and delight the viewer.

Updike meticulously reconstructs the memory of purchasing these glass candies, noting the location near "Harry’s Bar," a place made famous by Hemingway but found lacking by the speaker. This juxtaposition of the celebrated with the underwhelming continues as the Grand Canal is described as "aglitter," contrasted with the "lesser canals" that are compared to dark, secretive snakes. This imagery paints Venice as a city of both luminous highlights and shadowy, mysterious corners, mirroring the complexity of human memories that are both clear and obscured.

The interaction with the "immaculate salesgirl" further deepens the narrative, highlighting cultural and economic dynamics. Her perception of the tourists as "unserious shoppers" who are "still half jet-lagged" underscores a common tourist experience of feeling out of place and cautious with spending. Despite this, the tourists' desire to purchase something to commemorate their trip leads them to buy the least expensive items in the shop. The detailed description of the sales process, with the candies being wrapped "with a showy care worthy of crown jewels," illustrates the value assigned to even the smallest purchases when they serve as mementos.

The closing stanzas focus on the aftermath of the trip, back at home, where one of the candies has broken and is meticulously repaired. This act of mending, described with care and precision, is a metaphor for holding onto memories, for preserving not just the physical object but the time and experience it represents. The "labor of love in the cellar" by "the man of the house" is a poignant image of personal dedication to preserving a shared past.

The final reference to the "feathery bed at the Europa e Regina" brings the reader back to the intimate, personal sphere of the couple's experience in Venice, tying the tangible glass candies to intangible memories of time spent together.

"Venetian Candy" elegantly captures the way objects can hold and trigger memories, serving as tangible links to times and places that are otherwise fleeting. Updike's poem invites reflection on the value we place on such items and the stories they carry forward, often outliving their original owners and continuing to evoke the essence of past experiences for generations.

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