Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Portrait of a Woman" by Wis?awa Szymborska paints a complex picture of womanhood, one rife with contradictions, demands, and expectations. The poem captures the conflicting roles and challenges that society imposes on women, ultimately revealing a portrait that is as much an amalgamation of stereotypes as it is an ode to women's resilience and multi-faceted nature.

From the opening lines, we are introduced to a woman who "must be willing to please." This speaks volumes about the societal pressures that women face, being conditioned to fulfill the desires of others often at the expense of their own. The subsequent line, "To change so that nothing should change," is an ironic reflection of the expectation that women should adapt themselves without affecting the status quo, a dilemma that renders them in a constant state of flux, forever bound to "easy, impossible, hard, worth trying" endeavors.

Szymborska brilliantly conveys this duality in phrases like "Her eyes are if need be now deep blue, now gray," showing the ever-changing roles that women are often asked to play-perhaps sensual one moment, practical the next. The woman in the portrait sleeps "like some chance acquaintance, like his one and only," capable of being both casual and intensely intimate. Similarly, her motherhood is defined by its variance: "She will bear him four children, no children, one."

One of the poem's most striking elements is the combination of seemingly contradictory traits. She is "Naive yet giving the best advice," "Weak yet lifting the weightiest burdens." These lines echo the complexities of womanhood, challenging the simplistic, often reductionist, views that society tends to impose on women.

Szymborska also addresses the notion of intelligence and how it's gendered. The subject "Reads Jaspers and ladies' magazines," suggesting both intellectual depth and social awareness, but also underlining the idea that such a diverse range of interests is often seen as contradictory. Similarly, she "doesn't know what this screw is for and will build a bridge," a nod to the dismissal of women's capabilities in realms traditionally considered masculine, such as engineering or construction, despite their proven competencies.

The woman's youth is touched upon, pointing to society's obsession with the age of women: "Young, as usual young, as always still young." The line underscores society's tendency to value women largely based on their appearance and the ever-present pressure to maintain a semblance of youth.

The objects she holds-"a sparrow with a broken wing, her own money for a journey long and distant, a meat-cleaver, poultice, and a shot of vodka"-act as symbols of her multifaceted roles as a caregiver, an independent entity, and a realist equipped to deal with life's complexities. The ending lines, "Either she loves him or has made up her mind to. For better, for worse, and for heaven's sake," encapsulate the enduring patience and willful commitment that is expected of women, perhaps as a last resort, perhaps out of genuine love, or perhaps a bit of both.

"Portrait of a Woman" invites readers to confront and challenge societal stereotypes, celebrating the complexities and contradictions inherent in being a woman. The portrait Szymborska paints is not of a monolith, but of a complex, dynamic individual, forever adapting but perennially herself, a fitting tribute to the manifold facets of womanhood.

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