Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Atavism" by Elinor Wylie, the poem grapples with the tension between memory and fear, nature and the unknown. The speaker reflects on a deep-seated, ancestral fear associated with a pond—an ancient, primal terror that transcends logic and reason. Through rich imagery and references to the natural world, the poem evokes themes of atavism, or the re-emergence of ancient traits or instincts from the past, especially those tied to survival and primal fear.

The poem begins with the speaker’s fear of "Somes's Pond," but it is not the "little pond" near the willow tree, where children innocently catch fish, that invokes terror. Instead, it is "the one beyond," a deeper, more mysterious part of the landscape that eludes simple understanding. This distinction between the "little pond" and the one "beyond" sets up a sense of duality—the familiar and the unknown, the safe and the threatening. The "little pond" is a place of childhood play and innocence, while the "one beyond" is connected to something darker, more foreboding.

The scene is set in late autumn, when "the frost makes all the birches burn / Yellow as cow-lilies," an image that simultaneously evokes the beauty of nature and its impending decay. The birches, "burning yellow," seem to symbolize the vibrant but fleeting nature of life before the cold of winter sets in. The "pale sky" shines "like a polished shell" between the "black spruce and pines," creating a stark contrast between the natural world’s lightness and darkness, beauty and danger. The environment itself is portrayed as both stunning and alienating, hinting at an underlying threat in the landscape.

As the speaker describes "some strange thing" that "tracks us, turning where we turn," it becomes clear that the fear is not simply personal, but ancient—something ingrained, perhaps passed down through generations. This "strange thing" is an invisible, almost supernatural presence that follows the speaker’s movements, heightening the tension in the poem. This sensation of being stalked suggests an atavistic fear, one that is not just of the physical world, but of something much older—something primal and deeply embedded in the subconscious.

The speaker anticipates a rational response to the fear, acknowledging that others may dismiss it as a product of imagination, calling it a "dream," and linking it to her identity as "the true daughter / Of those who in old times endured this dread." Here, the speaker connects the fear to her ancestral heritage, implying that it is not just an individual response, but something inherited—an instinctive reaction passed down through generations. This connection to ancestral fear evokes the concept of atavism, where traits from ancient ancestors reemerge in the present. The fear the speaker feels is not hers alone; it is a shared, collective terror that is rooted in the past.

The final lines of the poem deepen the sense of dread with vivid, eerie imagery: "Look! Where the lily-stems are showing red / A silent paddle moves below the water." This image of something moving beneath the surface—"a sliding shape"—evokes the feeling of an unseen predator, hidden just out of sight. The lily-stems, now tinged red, symbolize a disturbance in what was once peaceful and beautiful, an ominous sign that something is wrong beneath the calm exterior of the pond. The "silent paddle" suggests a slow, deliberate movement—something lurking and waiting to strike. The "painted mask of death" that "surmounts tall plumes" reinforces the ominous atmosphere, suggesting the presence of a supernatural or mythic force associated with death. The mask, often symbolic of disguise or hidden intent, suggests that this fear is not only real but veiled in mystery, something that cannot be fully understood or faced directly.

“Atavism” is a haunting exploration of inherited fear and the tension between the known and the unknown. Through the depiction of the pond and its eerie, unseen presence, Wylie connects the speaker’s fear to something primal, a deeply ingrained instinct that transcends generations. The vivid descriptions of nature, from the "burning" birches to the "silent paddle," create an atmosphere of unease, where beauty and terror coexist. The poem suggests that certain fears, no matter how deeply buried in the past, will always resurface, tracking us like ancient instincts that cannot be escaped. Through this exploration, Wylie illustrates how the past—especially its darker, more mysterious aspects—continues to shape the present.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...