Analysis of Poems by Dorothy Parker Essay

Thesis statement: Though the poems of Parker may embody a sense of cynicism and sarcasm regarding relationships it is apparent that it is not the concept of a romantic relationship that Parker is so negative about but rather her spitefulness is directed at males in general.

Introduction

Bitterness, that one word seems to be at the forefront of most of the poems examined during the writing of this paper. It is not used as a manner of self-loathing, nor is written in such a way so as to express missed opportunities but rather it is concocted in such a fashion that the author expresses a bitter outlook based on personal experience.

For most people reading the works of Parker they always seem to remark that her outlook on relationships is from a dark and cynical point of view and as such most of them would be correct in such an assumption however the essence of her poems does not lie merely on the idea that she views that world in such a dark and cynical manner but rather they express the notion that she once had a different view, that she was one optimistic and full of hope but that something was introduced that changed this view into what it is today.

In fact her poems could be considered as a form of bitterness over the lost of her innocence in that she was deluded into thinking the world was all sunshine and daises when in fact it was full of briars and thorns.

A closer examination reveals that though the poems of Parker may embody a sense of cynicism and sarcasm regarding relationships it is apparent that it is not the concept of a romantic relationship that Parker is so negative about but rather her spitefulness is directed at males in general.

Examining the view of Parker and Relationships

In the poem “Wail” this particular passage indicates how Parker feels about romantic relationships “joy has gone the way it came”, this signifies that Parker does indeed feel happiness in a relationship however when examining the rest of the poem it also shows how bitter she feels once a relationship ends.

While this poem does show the bitterness of Parker it neglects to show where this particular bitterness originates from. In order to understand its origin two of her poems “anecdote” and “men” need to be examined since they showcase a clear example of just where her bitterness comes from. In “Anecdote” Parker expresses a situation in a relationship when her partner losses interest in her, the lines “so silent I when love was by” as well as the line “he yawned and turned away” indicates the loss of interest of her partner at her.

A short examination of her life reveals that Parker went through three marriages and quite possibly a long string of failed romances, it is due to this that the concept of romance appears to disillusion Parker since men for her are apparently the source of all problems in relationships. Her poem “Men” further illustrates this disillusion in which she states that it is the very attitudes of men in trying to change women into what they want that causes problems in the first place.

What must be understood is that Parker lived from 1893 to 1967 and as such a bulk of her work was created at a time when women did not have the same rights and privileges as men today. She writes from a perspective of disillusionment against the current state of affairs and the way in which men act which is one of the reasons for her that problems occur in relationships. For example in the poem “Bohemia” Parker implies that men are all the same in that they have a one track mind that always seeks sex.

In such a case it can be assumed that she has experienced various instances where men have cheated on her because of their promiscuity. In fact it can be said that reflected in her poems is the desire to actually enter into a fulfilling romantic relationship but for Parker so long as men remain the way they are all relationships will wind up the same and such this causes the bitterness that appears in various poems crafted by her.

Understanding Parker’s Views

If you were a woman spurned by constant failed relationships it would not be surprising if you yourself became bitter over the concept of having one. For Parker the bitterness accumulated from her multiple failed relationships became the inspiration for most of her work.

One detail though that most people seem to forget about Parker was that she attempted to commit suicide multiple times throughout her life. The poem “Resume” is actually a confession of sorts in which she explains of the numerous ways she thought of committing suicide however always seemed to stop due to one reason or another.

While her works are full of wit and dark humor the life of Parker was one filled with tragedy. Most people would say that she drew inspiration from such experiences however in the case of her views on relationships she did not draw on problems she experienced early on in her life but rather on the bitterness she felt when such relationships ended on account of the men she was with.

The views of Parker on romantic relationships is one based on innocence lost, a view filled with bitterness over the attitudes of men but strangely filled with hope since she never once indicates to truly despise relationships but rather indicates her displeasure at what causes their failure.

Works Cited

Parker, Dorothy. “Anecdote.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Wail.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Resume.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Two volume novel.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Untitled.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Unfortunate coincidence.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Men.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.

Parker, Dorothy. “Anecdote.” Poem Hunter. Poem Hunter, 2010. Web.