Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Linda Pastan's poem "The Myth of Perfectibility" explores the human desire for perfection and the inevitable frustration that accompanies it. Through the metaphor of rearranging a still life of flowers, the poem delves into the futility and beauty of striving for an unattainable ideal, suggesting that the pursuit of perfection is a continuous, almost Sisyphean endeavor that is central to the human experience.

The poem begins with the speaker hanging "the still life of flowers by a window so it can receive the morning light, as flowers must." This initial act of placing the painting where it can receive light reflects an intuitive understanding of what is natural and necessary for the flowers depicted in the artwork, much like real flowers need sunlight to thrive. However, the speaker is immediately confronted with the consequences of this decision: "But sun will fade the paint," leading to the realization that exposure to light, while beneficial to living flowers, would be detrimental to the painting.

This recognition prompts the speaker to move the picture to "the exact center of a dark wall, over the mantel." In this new location, the painting is protected from sunlight, but it now appears "too much like a trophy," an object of display rather than a source of natural beauty. The comparison to "animal heads but made up of blossoms" suggests that the painting has lost some of its vitality and life, becoming instead a symbol of something conquered and preserved, rather than something that is living and growing.

The speaker continues to move the painting, trying to find the perfect spot. It is relocated to "a little wall down a hallway where I can come upon it almost by chance." This placement is inspired by the Japanese aesthetic practice of placing small windows in obscure places, so that the sight of a landscape can "startle them with beauty as they pass and not become familiar." Here, the speaker seeks to preserve the painting's capacity to surprise and delight, rather than allowing it to become a static, overfamiliar object. The idea of being "startled" by beauty speaks to the transient and elusive nature of perfection—something that can only be glimpsed momentarily, not held onto permanently.

This process of moving the painting "all day long" becomes a metaphor for the constant, restless pursuit of perfection. The speaker’s actions extend beyond the painting to the rearrangement of "a chair or a vase," suggesting that this quest for the ideal extends to all aspects of life. The act of arranging and rearranging is likened to the repetitive, eternal labor of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down each time he neared the top. However, the speaker describes feeling "like a happy Sisyphus," finding satisfaction in the continuous effort rather than in achieving a final, perfect result.

The poem also compares this endless process to the work of a farmer who "knows that the body's work is never over," where "the motions of plowing and planting continue season after season, even in his sleep." This agricultural metaphor emphasizes the cyclical nature of life and the idea that perfection is not a fixed state but an ongoing process. The farmer’s work is never done, yet it is fulfilling in its repetition and its connection to the rhythms of nature.

"The Myth of Perfectability" suggests that the quest for perfection is a fundamental, albeit unattainable, part of human life. Through the metaphor of rearranging objects and the references to Sisyphus and the farmer, Pastan portrays perfection as a moving target, something that can never be fully realized but which nonetheless gives meaning and purpose to our actions. The poem ultimately embraces the beauty of imperfection and the satisfaction that comes from engaging in the endless process of seeking, rather than in the achievement of an impossible ideal.

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