The Farmer's Bride: Page 2 Analysis
The second page of the GCSE poetry anthology interpretation of "The Farmer's Bride" delves deeper into the characterization of the bride and the farmer's conflicted feelings towards her. The bride is repeatedly compared to animals and elements of nature, emphasizing her connection to the natural world and her distance from human society.
A series of similes paint a vivid picture of the bride's character: "Shy as a leveret, swift as he, / Straight and slight as a young larch tree, / Sweet as the first wild violets." These comparisons to young animals and delicate plants underscore her youth, fragility, and wild nature. The phrase "To her wild self. But what to me?" highlights the fundamental disconnect between the bride's true nature and the farmer's desires.
The poem then shifts to describe the changing seasons, creating a melancholic atmosphere that mirrors the farmer's loneliness and frustration. The imagery of shortening days, brown oaks, and the approach of Christmas emphasizes the passage of time and the continued isolation within the household.
Quote: "What's Christmas-time without there be / Some other in the house than we!"
This exclamation reveals the farmer's deep longing for companionship and his resentment of the current situation. The description of the bride sleeping alone in the attic, separated from the farmer by just a staircase, creates a palpable sense of tension and unfulfilled desire.
Highlight: The repeated use of "the down, / The soft young down of her, the brown, / The brown of her - her eyes, her hair, her hair!" demonstrates the farmer's obsessive focus on the bride's physical attributes, objectifying her and reducing her to her appearance.
This page of the poem builds on the themes in The Farmer's Bride by Charlotte Mew, particularly the conflict between human desires and the natural world, as well as the objectification and isolation of the young bride.
