Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Randall Jarrell's poem "Windows" delves into the themes of isolation, longing, and the imagined worlds we create through the act of watching others. The poem begins with a vivid description of a winter scene where "Quarried from snow, the dark walks lead to doors / That are dark and closed." The houses, with their high roofs, appear to float in the moonlight, giving a dreamlike quality to the scene. These houses, enveloped in the "moonlight of the shining sky," seem to be sleeping with "the bedclothes pulled around them," evoking a sense of warmth and protection against the cold outside.

Despite this apparent stillness, some lights continue to burn inside these homes, indicating life within. The speaker reflects on this world, "Storm-windowed, or curtained in the summer wind," as one they have observed and yearned to inhabit. This longing to be part of another world, a different life, is a central theme of the poem. The people within these homes "move seldom, and are silent," their actions seemingly part of a timeless ritual that holds a meaning unknown even to themselves.

The speaker compares these silent inhabitants to "dead actors on a rainy afternoon," performing in a darkened living room for children who watch a world that existed before their time. This imagery suggests a separation between the observer and the observed, a barrier that prevents true connection or understanding. The "looked-at lives, the lives that are not lived" move past the speaker without purpose or awareness of their existence, emphasizing the speaker's sense of alienation.

The poem then shifts to a more introspective tone, where the speaker acknowledges that these actors "have known nothing of today, / That time of troubles and of me." The actors, indifferent to the speaker's troubles and existence, continue their peaceful, unchanging lives, moving "along in peace, on winter evenings, / On summer evenings." This indifference deepens the speaker's sense of yearning and the impossibility of becoming part of this tranquil world.

In a moment of hopeful imagination, the speaker envisions pushing a window open and stepping inside this other world. This act represents a desire to bridge the gap between the observer and the observed, to transform from an outsider into a participant. The imagined scenario is rich with domestic detail: "Next morning they will come downstairs and find me. / They will start to speak, and then smile speechlessly / And shift the plates, and set another place / At a table shining by a silent fire." This vision of being welcomed into a warm, accepting family underscores the speaker's deep longing for connection and belonging.

The poem's conclusion returns to the idea of sleep and rest, but now within the context of this imagined integration: "When I have eaten they will say, 'You have not slept.' / And from the sofa, mounded in my quilt, / My cheek on their pillow, that is always cool." The act of sleeping on their pillow, a symbol of comfort and home, represents the ultimate fulfillment of the speaker's desire for intimacy and acceptance. However, this vision blurs as the speaker's eyes close, and a "hand's slow fire-warmed flesh" is drawn across their face. This final image, "It moves so slowly that it does not move," suggests a fleeting touch, a moment of connection that is ultimately unattainable.

"Windows" poignantly captures the tension between the desire for connection and the reality of isolation. Through the lens of a winter evening, Jarrell explores the human yearning to belong and the barriers that often keep us apart. The poem's rich imagery and contemplative tone invite readers to reflect on their own experiences of longing and the worlds we create in our minds as we watch, wish, and dream from the outside.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...