In the poem “The Portrait” by Stanley Kunitz the voice (arguably Kunitz himself) uses poetry to paint a picture about a picture that was once the only piece he had left of his departed father.
Deadly Suspense
The poem begins with two lines that leave an immediate impression on the reader because the voice’s “mother never forgave [his] father / for killing himself” (lines 1-2). Deadpan truth sets the poem in motion. The voice lost its father due to suicide and what is worse is that the father committed suicide at
an awkward time
and in a public park
that spring
when [he] was waiting to be born (lines 3-6).
The voice never knew his father. Life is often difficult with both parents, but this voice is characterized by never knowing a father who killed himself. The odds are stacked against the voice straight away.
Shaky Beginnings
The first several lines are riddled with emotions that affectively entangle the thoughts of the reader. Psychologically, the torment experienced by the voice, who never knew his own father, is projected directly onto the reader. The poem then delves into the emotional and psychological torture of the mother because
She locked [the father’s] name
In her deepest cabinet
And would not let him out,
Though [the voice] could hear him thumping (lines 7-10).
The “thumping” of the departed soul reverberates through the poem and the metaphor functions to show the anguish of the mother’s troubled heart. Upon reading one may dwell on what it would be like to live with a woman who was put through so much and dealt with the death in such an introverted manner.
Strokes of Genius
Within the tight, short-lined single stanza form the poem shifts effortlessly to a narrative where the voice is coming
down from the attic
with the pastel portrait in [his] hand
of a long-lipped stranger
with a brave moustache
and deep brown level eyes (lines 11-15)
The effect of the imagery being broken up into separate lines adds to the tension of the work. These lines could be said to be similar to brushstrokes on a canvas, each one separate, yet used collectively to create a finished piece.
Searing Flashback
Again the poem shifts and the tempo climaxes as the “mother” “ripped [the portrait] into shreds / without a single word / and slapped [him] hard” (lines 16-18). It is important to note that the action of ripping the portrait was done without explanation, indicative of how the “mother” deals with the loss of her of husband. The final three lines bring the reader away from the flashback where the voice is in its “sixty-fourth year / [he] can feel [his] cheek / still burning” (lines 19-21). Despite the fact that this event happened when the voice was still young it resonates into old age.
Framing the Father
The first and last two lines create a formal frame for the poem. Both of these pairs allow the reader to see, feel, and almost touch the “ripped” portrait. The father dies and the cheek burns for an eternity. The mother’s inability to deal with the death of her husband has scarred her and the scar is now passed onto the son. “The Portrait” is set up as a quasi-ekphrastic poem that examines a portrait of the “father” while painting a portrait of the son and mother. The son should not have to bear the inequities of the father. But how could this voice avoid such inequities, if the mother never let them die?
 |
