Introduction
The poem “Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunks” by Pablo Neruda depicts the violent attitude of men toward the mermaid, a symbol of nature and the female gender. The poem’s theme deals with global problems concerning the position of women in society, the exploitation of nature, and the unreasonable behavior of particular groups of people in the context of the rights of others. The poem utilizes analogies to depict the planet and people’s attitudes toward it. The image of the mermaid subjected to unwarranted insults embraces disrespectful masculine conduct. Thus, this poem draws parallels between the exploitation of nature and men’s intolerant attitudes regarding other genders and the environment through symbolism and stylistic devices.
Discussion
In the context of eco-feminism, this poem has several distinct parallels that show the structure of the modern world. The poem’s beginning mentions men being inside a particular indoor setting, which may symbolize modern society. The mermaid appears completely naked in the poem, representing the defenselessness of the female gender and nature against the influence of men and the lack of aggression. However, the men began to spit at the mermaid for no apparent reason other than that they were drunk (Reddit, 2022). The drunken condition of the male characters in this poem shows the rashness with which they approach nature and women. This portrayal of men also depicts a lack of consideration for others and the planet. Moreover, the portrayal of men as entertaining shows a non-serious attitude toward nature and women based on the satisfaction of hedonistic needs. In general, men’s reaction to the mermaid in the poem demonstrates the disrespectful attitude of people belonging to certain social groups regarding others and the entire ecosystem.
The image of the mermaid in this poem has several features that describe parallels between women and nature. Certain parts of the mermaid’s body have references to natural resources, which shows that men are drawn to these things with equal lust and indifference (Reddit, 2022). Considering the mermaid’s beauty, men nevertheless subject her to humiliation and physical abuse. In this case, it also depicts the unrestricted consumption of nature’s resources without regard for the preservation of the ecosystem. Thus, analogies of valuable natural resources and women’s body parts show how men objectify women and nature. An essential aspect in the description of the mermaid is the emphasis on the fact that she is unfamiliar with many human feelings and behaviors. The lack of human-like conduct creates a more pronounced analogy with nature, which also cannot react to human exploitation. Overall, the mermaid is a personification of nature and women in the context of interaction with men since it displays a female character with symbolic analogies with the elements of the environment.
Furthermore, the scene in the poem represents a metonymic depiction of the structure of the world. In this aspect, the drunken and aggressive men represent the people responsible for their exploitative attitude toward nature and other people. Neruda does not describe directly where the events occur, but from the poem’s text, it emerges that everything happens in the room where the men are and where the mermaid enters. The place where the poem’s events occur embodies an exploitative, hedonistic society (Reddit, 2022). At the same time, there are no locations other than where the mermaid came from at the poem’s beginning. Therefore, where the poem’s events occur represents practically the entire planet and its population. Hence, Neruda portrays a society in its negative aspects concerning irrational consumption and cruelty to the environment. In this aspect, nature is portrayed as separate from people and humankind by its essence.
An essential aspect of analyzing the problems raised by the poem is the mermaid’s behavior concerning the situation. She does nothing to protect herself from men and expresses no emotion. The mermaid silently enters the place with the men at the poem’s beginning and leaves it afterward without any reaction. Thus, as a personification of nature and the female gender, the mermaid endures abuse from men and has no other option to avoid it than to leave the place. In this aspect, the author uses a symbolic representation of the traits of entire groups of men and nature. The patriarchal men personify their typical qualities by figuring a group of drunken men showing cruelty to everything different from them. The mermaid simultaneously represents women and nature, possessing tranquility and an inability to resist offense. At the poem’s end, the mermaid swims to her death, demonstrating her inability to resist oppression, her acceptance of fate, and the planet’s pessimistic perspectives on the future of nature (Reddit, 2022). Therefore, the poem illustrates how a chauvinistic attitude toward one’s surroundings and others for gain, pleasure, or trivial entertainment can have unjustifiable consequences.
Conclusion
In this poem, Pablo Neruda portrays two crucial global issues in one scene involving several actual two characters, including a mermaid and a group of drunken men. Human patriarchal society is shown as the exploiter of nature and women personified by the mermaid in this poem. The image of the mermaid is shown as innocent and non-aggressive to the world. Moreover, the mermaid does not respond aggressively to men’s attitudes and calmly leaves the place. At the same time, the behavior of the men features aggression and a careless attitude toward the mermaid. In general, this poem demonstrates the exploitative attitude of dominant groups concerning other people and the environment and the possible negative consequences of behavior based only on their interests.
Reference
An environmentalist reading of Pablo Neruda’s “Fable of the Mermaid and the Drunks”. (2022). Reddit. Web.