Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In Louise Gluck's "Summer at the Beach," the complexity of self-perception and the journey toward identity are examined through the intimate lens of a summer's day at the beach. The poem delves into the speaker's relationship with their own body, their sister, and the world around them-each relationship influenced by varying degrees of self-awareness and societal expectations.

As the poem unfolds, the narrator situates us in a nostalgic past "before the sun was dangerous," a subtle acknowledgment that even the simplest elements of life like the sun have changed over time, or at least our perceptions of them have. The speaker's sister is absorbed in reading mysteries, a choice that seems to parallel the speaker's own curiosity about the enigmatic dimensions of identity and human interaction. The speaker, on the other hand, observes the water and contemplates the sand, emblematic of transient and shifting realities.

In a poignant reflection on body image, the speaker uses the sand to create optical illusions, covering their feet to extend their legs. They consciously aim to appear "coltish," conforming to what magazines consider ideal, a description suggesting both youthfulness and a certain naive elegance. The phrase "I was a frozen colt" encapsulates the tension between the desired self and the genuine self, frozen in an awkward transformation.

In contrast, the speaker's sister seems unaffected by societal expectations. She tries to follow the speaker's advice but eventually abandons the effort, "she didn't have enough willpower / to sustain a deception." This contrast between the two siblings represents diverging attitudes toward societal norms and self-deception. The sister, comfortable in her own skin, doesn't feel the need to fit a mold, while the speaker is engrossed in a struggle for an idealized self-image.

Moreover, the speaker feels disconnected from the different stages of life around them. Babies, engrossed in their innocent universes, are incomprehensible to the speaker, who "couldn't picture myself not thinking." Adults, in turn, are categorized as "terrible bodies: lax, oily, completely / committed to being male and female," each descriptor heavy with judgment and a young person's terror of complacency and stereotyping.

The concluding lines of the poem encapsulate the dilemma: "Because it was true: when I didn't move I was perfect." The speaker feels most aligned with their perceived ideal self when they are static, an unsustainable condition that implies an uncomfortable truth-that perfection, at least as it is imagined here, is incompatible with the natural dynamics of life.

"Summer at the Beach" serves as an exploration of the trials of growing up, the continuous journey of self-identification, and the illusions we sometimes construct to meet societal or self-imposed ideals. It captures the vulnerability and uncertainty inherent in this process, even as it occurs within the seemingly carefree setting of a summer's day at the beach. Through keen observation and introspection, the poem offers an intricate view of the relationship between individual identity and the larger world.

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