Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Derek Walcott's "Midsummer: 11" reflects on themes of identity, ritual, memory, and despair. The poem opens in an intimate, solitary moment, depicting a man engaging in the mundane task of shaving, which serves as a pretext for deeper reflection on selfhood and loss. Walcott’s characteristic attention to detail and his ability to infuse everyday actions with symbolic meaning make this poem a rich exploration of personal disconnection and existential melancholy.

The poem begins with the speaker encountering his "double" in the mirror, a reflection of himself who seems alienated and disconnected. "My double, tired of morning, closes the door / of the motel bathroom" suggests that this "double" is weary, not just of the morning but of the routine and repetition that life has become. The fact that this occurs in a "motel" evokes a sense of impermanence and transience, underscoring a feeling of dislocation, as though the speaker is in a liminal space, disconnected from a stable home or identity.

The moment when the "double" wipes the steamed mirror, only to "refuse to acknowledge me staring back at him," is a striking metaphor for self-alienation. The reflection, usually a symbol of self-recognition, here becomes a site of rejection. The speaker's reflection does not recognize or engage with him, suggesting a deep psychological or emotional estrangement. The act of wiping the steamed mirror, a mundane task, takes on symbolic weight, indicating the desire to clear away obstructions or distortions that prevent self-understanding, though it ultimately results in failure.

Walcott's attention to the physical act of shaving carries a strong emotional resonance. The "dispassionate care" with which the double shaves is compared to "a barber's lathering a corpse," a chilling image that likens this daily ritual to the preparations for death. The use of "extreme unction," a term associated with the last rites in Catholicism, reinforces the association between shaving and mortality. In this moment, the simple act of grooming becomes a ritual of existential significance, a reminder of the body's vulnerability and the inevitable approach of death.

The speaker’s observation that the old ritual "would have been as grim / if the small wisps that curled there in the basin / were not hairs but minuscular seraphim" introduces a surreal element. The idea that the hairs could be "minuscular seraphim"—tiny angelic beings—infuses the scene with a strange spiritual undercurrent. The comparison underscores the dissonance between the mundane and the sacred, between the physical reality of hair clippings and the imaginative possibility of divine intervention. This tension between the ordinary and the transcendent runs throughout the poem, as the speaker grapples with the meaning of these small, intimate moments.

The speaker's "double" continues the grooming ritual, clipping the moustache with "snickering scissors." The personification of the scissors as "snickering" imbues the action with a mocking tone, as though even the tools used for self-maintenance are aware of the futility or absurdity of the ritual. At this point, the double pauses "reflecting, in midair," a moment of suspension that invites deeper contemplation. The poem shifts into a meditation on sadness, noting that "Certain sadnesses / are not immense, but fatal." This line emphasizes the quiet, insidious nature of certain kinds of despair, which are not dramatic or overwhelming but instead seep into everyday moments, becoming inescapable.

The reference to "the sense of sin / while shaving" speaks to the speaker’s internalized guilt or shame, possibly connected to personal failures or lost relationships. This moment of reflection is compounded by the image of "empty cupboards where her dresses / shone," suggesting a past love or relationship that has ended. The empty cupboard is a powerful symbol of absence and loss, highlighting the emotional void left behind by the departure of a loved one.

The poem reaches its darkest point with the question of why "flushing a faucet"—an ordinary, mechanical act—can evoke thoughts of suicide. The swirling of water down the drain, along with bits of hair, leads the speaker to contemplate how some men "sense their veins as filth / floating downriver." The metaphor likens the act of shaving and the disposal of hair to the emptying out of life itself, as though the speaker feels that his vitality and worth are being washed away. The connection between this despair and "the dolorous industries of sex" suggests that the speaker is grappling with feelings of shame or degradation linked to physical desire, further deepening the poem’s exploration of guilt and alienation.

The final image of "swans" raising the question of despair "with their white necks" contrasts with the cockerel "treading his hens," offering two starkly different responses to existential questions. The swan, often a symbol of grace and purity, raises the question of life's meaning in an elegant, contemplative manner, while the cockerel's quick, instinctual response—"treading his hens"—represents a more primal, unthinking approach to life and desire. This contrast between the lofty and the base, between reflection and instinct, underscores the tension between the speaker’s introspective despair and the basic, indifferent cycles of nature.

"Midsummer: 11" masterfully blends the personal and the universal, using the intimate act of shaving as a lens through which to explore themes of self-alienation, loss, guilt, and mortality. Walcott's vivid imagery and layered symbolism create a powerful meditation on the small rituals of daily life and the larger existential questions they evoke. Through this careful balance of the mundane and the profound, the poem captures the quiet despair that can accompany the act of confronting oneself in the mirror, both literally and metaphorically.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...