Mar
5
One Wait, Two Rooms
March 5, 2013 | Tagged Darkness, elizabeth bishop, National Geographic, waiting room | 4 Comments
In her poem, “In the Waiting Room”, Elizabeth Bishop describes the waiting room she is in twice: once at the beginning of the poem and once at the end. At the beginning of the poem, she describes it as a room full of adults, lamps, and magazines. She also mentions that it is winter outside, so it is getting dark early. The image she creates is a sterile one. It sounds like a dentist’s office should look: people, light, magazines and because she mentions that it is getting dark early, there are probably windows that show the winter darkness.
During the poem, Bishop tells the reader about the National Geographic magazine she is reading and then takes the reader through her whirlwind thought process of the images she saw and how they relate to her Aunt Consuelo. Sitting in that waiting room, Bishop is full of fear, doubt, and curiosity. She is confused about her life and what the images are telling her about herself and her future.
The emotions that Bishop reveals to the reader throughout the poem change the way she describes the waiting room. It is no longer a sterile or serene environment, but one that is incredibly uncomfortable. The waiting room she is in at the end of the poem is completely different from the one at the beginning! This room is too bright and too hot, yet it is filled with darkness. The room is also about to be destroyed by black waves. The fact that she creates such a scary visual for the reader shows how these images she was looking at and the simultaneous presence of her Aunt Consuelo made her question herself and the world she lived in.
Comments
4 Comments so far
Your reading of the poem corresponds with what I was thinking as well. As I read the poem, I felt an increasing sense of urgency, heightened by the images she saw in the National Geographic magazine and her own conflicting emotions. Her thoughts seemed to come quickly as she came to a realization about her identity, and as a result, the waiting room in which she was stuck became too hot and uncomfortable. I wonder then if the waiting room stands in for something else, perhaps hetero normative gender expectations? Then when she realizes she cannot conform to these, the waiting room in which she is imprisoned becomes stifling. Good post! It’s given me some things to think about!
I’m with Taylor, Miriam–it’s a smart close reading observation to note that EB describes the waiting room twice. Why bother? Aren’t waiting rooms designed to be forgettable, placeholder spaces? To that point, I think it matters that it’s *the* waiting room in this poem, as if this room is the absolute prototype for that ubiquitous kind of space.
I agree with Professor Bowen and Taylor here- I think you are on to something, Miriam, in choosing this as your response to the prompt. There must be some sort of reason as to why she chose a waiting room and talked about it twice. This definitely adds to the complexity of the poem itself and helps explain just how confused Bishop is about her identity.
Great Job!
I think you make a very good point. It is interesting that she would not only describe the room twice but do it in two very conflicting ways. I have to admit that I didn’t even notice this at first but now that you point it out I have to agree with you. This change is just another brilliant way in which she displays her change in emotion as the poem progresses to the reader. This is a very interesting technique and certainly helps to make the poem even better. Good post.