Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Drowned Woman" by Elinor Wylie, the poem explores themes of captivity, freedom, suffering, and the complexity of human relationships. Through vivid, contrasting imagery, Wylie examines the roles that different figures—jailer, teacher, and brother—play in the speaker's emotional and spiritual journey. These figures are presented not as traditional archetypes of authority or support, but in nuanced and sometimes paradoxical ways that suggest a deeper, more ambiguous connection between the speaker and these roles.

The poem begins with the assertion, “He shall be my jailer / Who sets me free / From shackles frailer / Than the wind-spun sea.” Here, the speaker introduces the paradoxical figure of the jailer, someone who is traditionally associated with confinement and punishment. However, the jailer in this case is also the one who sets the speaker free. The "shackles frailer / Than the wind-spun sea" imply that the chains holding the speaker are not physical but metaphorical—perhaps emotional or psychological bonds that are fragile and intangible, like the ever-changing and uncontrollable nature of the sea. The image of the sea, with its fluidity and capriciousness, suggests a force that both imprisons and frees, reflecting the complex, contradictory nature of the speaker's captivity and liberation.

In the next stanza, the speaker introduces another figure—“He shall be my teacher / Who cries 'Be brave.' / To a weeping creature / In a glass-walled wave.” This teacher, unlike a conventional guide, does not offer comfort or direct instruction but instead commands courage from someone in distress. The "weeping creature" trapped in a "glass-walled wave" evokes an image of confinement, as if the speaker is isolated within a transparent prison, surrounded by water. The glass walls suggest a boundary that can be seen through but cannot be escaped, emphasizing the speaker’s emotional vulnerability and sense of entrapment. The teacher’s command to "Be brave" seems to be an attempt to force the speaker to transcend this pain, yet the image of the "weeping creature" implies that such bravery is difficult to summon in the face of such emotional distress.

The final stanza shifts tone as the speaker refers to yet another figure, “he shall be my brother / Whose mocking despair / Dives headlong to smother / In the weeds of my hair.” The "brother" here is not a comforting or supportive figure, but one whose despair is mocking, adding to the emotional complexity of the relationship. His despair "dives headlong to smother," implying that it is overwhelming and consuming, perhaps suggesting that the brother's own emotional turmoil mirrors or intensifies the speaker's suffering. The "weeds of my hair" evoke an image of entanglement, both literal and metaphorical, where the speaker’s emotional state and the brother’s despair are tangled together in a suffocating manner. The brother, instead of offering solace or solidarity, brings his own form of destruction, suffocating the speaker in his despair.

“Drowned Woman” is a rich exploration of the contradictory roles that others can play in our emotional lives. The figures of the jailer, teacher, and brother are not straightforwardly helpful or harmful but instead reflect the complexity of human relationships, where roles can shift and blend, often in unexpected ways. The poem uses water imagery—especially the drowning, glass-walled wave and the weeds of hair—to evoke a sense of emotional suffocation and entrapment, suggesting that the speaker's journey is one of both internal conflict and external influence. Wylie’s portrayal of these relationships as paradoxical and interconnected highlights the struggle between captivity and freedom, suffering and release, and the ways in which those around us, even with the best intentions, can contribute to our emotional turbulence.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...