19 pages • 38 minutes read
To Be in Love
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Symbols & Motifs
The Motif of Destruction
The lover “[s]huts a door” (Line 18) midway through the poem, and perhaps midway through the relationship. The speaker’s response to the partner’s absence is to note their “arms are water” (Line 20). This image symbolizes two ideas: The speaker’s sense of solidity has vanished, and their physical hold on the lover has dissolved. More images of dissolution follow. The couple has broken up permanently due to the speaker’s unwillingness to convey their feelings, for thinking that “[h]is hand to take your hand is overmuch” (Line 12). The speaker’s thoughts revolve around their rejection of the lover for not coming forth with how they felt. Wondering “when to declare” (Line 28) has caused the death of the partnership. Wondering “when to apprize” (Line 29) has caused the “Column of Gold” (Line 31) to disintegrate into “the commonest ash” (Line 32). The speaker’s negligence has caused the “ghastly freedom” (Line 22) they did not want and destroyed their former blissful union.
The Better Half
In the poem, after their lover’s departure, the speaker describes themselves as “the beautiful half / Of a golden hurt” (Lines 23-24). This line conveys the painful breakup of a treasured relationship. However, it also shows that as the lover departs, the speaker recognizes that in the end, they have been the only partner to fully engage. The relationship was precious, as described by the word “golden” (Line 24), but it caused pain. Further, while the hurt of separation might be shared between the couple, the speaker’s devotion makes them feel they were the “beautiful half” (Line 23) of the two. This suggests that the other partner could not be described in the same way. He is not “beautiful” (Line 23), and he has moved on, “shut[ing] a door” (Line 18) on their partnership. The speaker, on the other hand, is the better of the two.
The Symbolic Imagery of the Mouth
The connection with the lover is threatened by the speaker’s need to define the relationship. One way that Brooks conveys this is by having her speaker shift the focus on the beloved’s mouth. In the first part of the poem when the couple is thriving, the speaker notes:
He is not there but
You know you are tasting together
The winter, or a light spring weather (Lines 9-11).
This shows that even when apart, the two remain connected, experiencing life in the same way. While the relationship starts out on this equal footing, as it proceeds, the speaker worries the love does not reciprocate their affection. The imagery of the beloved’s mouth also shifts as the speaker begins to “covet [it] / To touch, to whisper on” (Lines 25-26). Here the action, although connected to the mouth, is not unified like the previous image. The couple here is not involved in a mutual exchange. Instead, the speaker wants to use the loved one’s “mouth” (Line 25) to satisfy their need, to act not with but upon him. This suggests that their experience is no longer shared, which enhances the feeling of distance and desperation.
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By Gwendolyn Brooks
