Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Doors, Doors, Doors: 1. Old Man" is a poignant and detailed portrayal of an elderly man living in isolation, reflecting on the passage of time, loss, and the remnants of a life once full of meaning. The poem captures the loneliness and resignation that accompany aging, as well as the quiet dignity and routine that sustain the old man in his modest existence. Through vivid imagery and a tone that is both tender and melancholic, Sexton paints a picture of a life reduced to its bare essentials, where the past is preserved in small, tangible memories, and the future offers little more than the slow continuation of the present.

The poem opens with a direct address to the old man, highlighting the arduousness of his daily life: "Old man, it's four flights up and for what? / Your room is hardly any bigger than your bed." These lines immediately evoke a sense of futility and weariness, as the old man’s living conditions are cramped and ascetic, his effort to climb the stairs seemingly disproportionate to the reward of reaching his small, confining space. The description of him as a "brown woodcut / stooped over the thin rail and the wornout tread" likens him to a figure from a bygone era, worn down and etched by time. The imagery of a woodcut suggests something both fragile and enduring, as if he is a relic of a different age, still clinging to life but increasingly diminished.

Inside his room, the remnants of his past life are "fampacked on shelves from floor to ceiling / like a supermarket." This simile conveys a sense of clutter and accumulation, as if the old man has condensed his entire existence into these objects, which now define his world. Among these items is the photograph of his "dead wife / generously fat in her polished frame," a vivid and affectionate image that suggests a deep connection to the past and a longing for what has been lost. The "congealing bowl of cornflakes sagging in their instant milk" serves as a stark contrast to the warmth of the memory of his wife, symbolizing the decay and stagnation of the present.

The old man’s few comforts are simple and meager: a "hot plate" and a "telephone," the latter described as his "one luxury." The telephone, resting in his lap, becomes a symbol of his connection to the outside world and to his past, specifically his family name, which he clings to like a "Romanoff prince." This comparison to royalty is ironic, as the old man’s reality is far from regal. Instead, it highlights the disparity between his current circumstances and the legacy he once might have imagined for himself. The telephone represents both a lifeline and a reminder of the isolation that now defines his life, with no one left to call.

Despite his isolation, the old man maintains a connection to the other inhabitants of the building, leaving his door open and "lounging in maroon silk / and smiling at the other roomers who live alone." This gesture of openness and camaraderie, however small, suggests a desire for human contact, a way of asserting his presence in a world that has largely forgotten him. The mention of the "fellow next door" and his young lover, who "pause by your door to peer into your world," introduces a juxtaposition between youth and age, vitality and decline. The young couple, "extravagantly young in their tight lock," represents a world of passion and possibility that the old man can no longer access, though he remains a silent witness to their fleeting moments of intimacy.

The old man’s role as a "father holding court / in the dingy hall" further underscores his position as an observer, a figure of authority or wisdom, albeit one who is largely ignored or overlooked. The image of him "unstopper[ing] the quart / of brandy you’ve saved" and "examining the small print / in the telephone book" evokes a sense of ritual and routine, small acts that give structure to his days and connect him to a sense of continuity, however tenuous. The brandy, like the telephone, is a remnant of a past that is no longer accessible, yet it offers a brief escape from the emptiness of his current life.

In the closing lines, Sexton portrays the old man as a "castaway" adrift in time: "your time is a flat sea that doesn’t stop, / with no new land to make for and no new stories to swap." This image of the flat sea captures the monotonous and unchanging nature of his existence, where each day is indistinguishable from the next, and there is no hope of discovery or adventure. The old man is left with only the memories of a life that once was, his stories having already been told, with no new ones to take their place.

"Doors, Doors, Doors: 1. Old Man" is a moving exploration of aging, loneliness, and the quiet persistence of life in the face of loss and decline. Sexton’s detailed and empathetic portrayal of the old man’s daily existence invites readers to reflect on the dignity and resilience required to endure such isolation, as well as the universal experience of facing the passage of time and the gradual fading of one's place in the world. The poem speaks to the ways in which we all, eventually, must confront the realities of aging and the inevitability of being left with only the memories of what once was.

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