Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Gwen Head’s "Woman in the Middle" is a rich and poignant exploration of the passage of time, the roles imposed on women, and the unfulfilled desires that accumulate over a lifetime. Through vivid imagery, symbolic objects, and sharp contrasts between youthful promise and middle-aged stagnation, Head crafts a narrative that interrogates societal expectations and personal disillusionment. The poem’s structure and voice guide readers through the heroine’s journey, revealing the layers of identity, loss, and endurance that define her existence.

The poem begins with a striking image of the heroine on a staircase, draped in opulence: “three yards of tapered rose point slung from her shoulders, in mandatory pearls.” This opening situates the reader in a world of luxury and performance, with the heroine poised like “a white bat,” an eerie and fragile symbol of her ceremonial role. The staircase becomes a metaphor for her journey through life, a trajectory marked by appearances and societal expectations. Her satin hem, described as “hanging like a blade,” introduces a subtle tension, suggesting that beneath the glamour lies a sense of danger or foreboding.

Head anchors the narrative in 1929, a year steeped in historical significance and social change. The heroine’s steamer trunks, filled with luxurious garments and trinkets from her grand tour, symbolize her youthful promise and the cultural ideals of femininity and refinement. Items like “embroidered black and white Chinese pajamas” and a cigarette holder “made to look like jade” evoke a cosmopolitan elegance, while also hinting at the performative nature of her identity. These objects, tied to her trousseau and her role as a bride, emphasize the societal pressure to embody beauty, sophistication, and submission.

The description of the groom—“poor, but has a good heart”—adds a layer of irony and foreshadowing. This marriage, rooted in modest means despite its trappings of wealth, foreshadows the heroine’s future disillusionment. Twenty-five years later, the groom is gone, his “good heart” literally failing him. This transition from romantic promise to bereavement encapsulates the fleeting nature of youthful ideals and the inevitability of loss.

The second half of the poem shifts focus to the heroine’s present, a life marked by the ordinariness and frustrations of middle age. Her daughter, described as a “menopausal accident,” represents both a late-in-life burden and a symbol of her diminished autonomy. The imagery of the daughter counting her steps up the stairs—“One, two, three... at ten, another step”—reflects the slow, measured passage of time and the weight of responsibilities borne by both generations. The daughter’s “busy cranium wired like a champagne cork” suggests the tension and anticipation of youth, a stark contrast to the heroine’s own sense of stagnation.

The heroine herself is described with unflinching detail: “hose at the knees, flesh at the waist, hair at the nape all rolled and tied or netted down.” This description strips away the glamour of her earlier self, presenting her as an “anonymous, shabby package.” Her dressing table, cluttered with “rings of spilt powder” and “piles of unanswered letters,” becomes a symbol of neglect and deferred desires. The sealed bottle of Je Reviens (I Will Return) poignantly underscores her longing for renewal or escape, a promise unfulfilled.

The poem culminates in the heroine’s reflection on her life and the question, “What happens in the middle?” This question, addressed to her mother and by extension to all women who have navigated similar paths, encapsulates the existential uncertainty of midlife. The heroine laments the absence of dramatic passion or tragedy—“Why wasn’t there a lover and a train to throw herself under?”—and instead confronts the slow erosion of identity and purpose. The metaphor of a “slow freight of years” likens her life to a plodding, inexorable train, its cargo weighed down by compromises and unfulfilled dreams.

The final image of the “sodden comforts of the hobo jungle” evokes a sense of resignation and survival. This comparison suggests that the middle years of life are not marked by the fiery passion of youth or the wisdom of old age, but rather by a kind of liminal existence, where one clings to small comforts amidst the chaos of unmet expectations. The heroine’s yearning for a narrative with clear resolution or meaning reflects the broader human desire for coherence and purpose in the face of life’s unpredictability.

Structurally, the poem mirrors its themes, with its free verse form allowing for a fluid, conversational tone. The lack of a strict meter or rhyme scheme reflects the unpredictability and complexity of the heroine’s journey, while the detailed imagery grounds the narrative in specific moments and objects. The interplay between past and present creates a layered perspective, emphasizing the contrasts and continuities in the heroine’s life.

"Woman in the Middle" is ultimately a meditation on the roles women are expected to play and the personal costs of fulfilling those expectations. Through its vivid and evocative narrative, the poem captures the tension between societal ideals and individual desires, inviting readers to reflect on their own trajectories and the ways in which identity is shaped by time and circumstance. Head’s poignant depiction of the heroine’s journey resonates as a universal exploration of the middle years, where the questions of meaning, fulfillment, and agency come into sharp focus.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...