Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Alicia Suskin Ostriker’s poem "Three Women" is a poignant exploration of memory, trauma, and the indelible scars left by the Holocaust. The poem is divided into three distinct yet interconnected narratives, each told from the perspective of a different woman who experienced the horrors of World War II. Through these narratives, Ostriker delves into the personal and collective suffering endured by Jewish women during the Holocaust, highlighting the resilience, fear, and enduring impact of these experiences.

The first narrative, set in 1943, recounts the experiences of a young girl hiding with her family in the Italian countryside to escape Nazi deportations. The poem begins with a series of fragmented, almost dreamlike memories, described as "a series of slides." These memories are disjointed, reflecting the confusion and fear of the child who witnesses both the mundane and the horrific. The girl's family is too poor to flee to Palestine and instead hides with a peasant family, who are described as brave but also motivated by payment. The child's innocence is juxtaposed with the brutality of the war; she witnesses the birth of lambs and the killing of sheep, while also living in constant fear of both the Germans and the partisans. The tension is palpable when the family is forced to flee to a hole dug in the forest, a crude hiding place where they must remain silent as Nazis march overhead. The image of the mother clamping her hand over the child's mouth to prevent any sound encapsulates the desperation and terror of the moment. This narrative emphasizes the helplessness and confusion of a child caught in the midst of unimaginable violence.

The second narrative shifts to a group of teenage girls who have escaped from a concentration camp after it was liberated. They find a deserted German house in the forest, which seems like something out of a fairy tale, yet the reality of their situation is far from magical. The house, with its tall ceilings and gilded mirrors, represents the remnants of a life of privilege that starkly contrasts with the girls’ experiences. The speaker’s desperate need to see herself in the mirror reflects a yearning to reconnect with her identity after enduring the dehumanization of the camps. However, the mirror’s reflection is alien, and she struggles to recognize herself among the faces of the other girls. This moment of disorientation and fear symbolizes the loss of self that many survivors experienced—their sense of identity shattered by the horrors they had endured. The act of sticking out her tongue to identify her reflection is a poignant reminder of the childlike innocence that has been lost, yet also a small, defiant act of reclaiming her sense of self.

The third narrative is perhaps the most harrowing, recounting the experiences of a woman in a concentration camp. The poem starkly depicts the brutal reality of the camps, with barbed wire, German shepherds, and the ever-present threat of death. The woman’s recollections include the horrific image of a mother being torn apart by dogs as she desperately searches for her child, and the chilling presence of Dr. Mengele, whose "wise-looking face, almost like an angel" contrasts with the "glance from his eyes, of a devil." The juxtaposition of Mengele’s outward appearance with the evil he embodies underscores the theme of deceptive appearances, a recurring motif in Holocaust literature. The woman’s barrack is located next to the crematoria, and she describes the daily sight of bodies and flames, an inescapable reminder of the constant proximity to death.

The poem concludes with the woman’s reflection on memory and silence. She reveals that the survivors believed silence might help them forget, but the memories persist, "stabbing" her repeatedly. The decision to speak out, to give voice to these memories, is both an act of defiance and a necessity. By speaking, she reclaims her story and refuses to let the horrors she endured remain hidden.

"Three Women" is a powerful meditation on the enduring impact of trauma and the ways in which memory and identity are intertwined. Each woman’s narrative highlights different aspects of the Holocaust experience—childhood innocence shattered by fear, the struggle to reclaim identity after dehumanization, and the haunting persistence of traumatic memories. Through these voices, Ostriker not only honors the experiences of these women but also underscores the importance of bearing witness, of remembering and speaking out against the atrocities of the past. The poem serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit, even in the face of overwhelming darkness.

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