“You fit into me” is one of the poems in the poetry collection “Power politics” by Margaret Atwood. The center topic of the book is a discussion of feminist-related issues, patriarchy, interconnection of love, and pain in relationships. Specifically, in the poem’s context, which can have multiple interpretations, the author emphasizes the vision of heterosexual relationships in the patriarchal society. Love itself is depicted as something painful and desired at the same time. The author uses certain symbols to illustrate the dynamics of a romantic relationship that many women can experience throughout their lives.
The first image that appears in the poem is the hook and the eye. Those symbols might have a meaning of femininity and masculinity. It seems that the hook represents the men’s power and domination, the way they know their strengths, and how they are capable of getting everything they want. In turn, the eye symbolizes the soul and inner world of the woman that is open to experiencing the love and romantic feelings that men have to offer. Those symbols represent the traditional heterosexual relationships where the man has the leading position and holds the initiative of showing the love interest and stimulating the development of the communication.
Considering the idea that the “fish hook” represents masculinity, it gives the broader perception of the metaphor. First of all, the hook itself is initially an object that promises danger, for it aims to catch and capture the prey by entering the body. Something as sharp and threatening as a hook can captivate but not in an exciting but harmful way. It might symbolize passion and affection that happens between man and woman at the beginning of the romantic relationship. However, it eventually leads to the unsafe position of the woman and the following sufferings due to the hurt caused by the hook thrusting the eye.
Thinking about the meaning that represents an “open eye”, it might have a hidden duality. At first, the eye in the core of itself is vulnerable and defenseless against any threat that could appear. Therefore, when the “fish hook” catches an “open eye,” it does not even blink or close. It represents the way of creating heterosexual relationships that can be felt like “a hook into an eye” (Atwood 2). As the hook is sharp and pierces the eye, it results in unbearable pain. Nevertheless, despite all the helplessness, the eye has its strength by staying open all the time. It keeps the ability to see the situation as it is and have a clear vision of the essence of what is happening. To see with opened eyes can be interpreted as understanding the core of love and its consequences after the passion disappears.
The poem illustrates several issues that were of current interest at the time when it was written. However, such social phenomena as patriarchy and the stereotyped concept of heterosexual relationships might still occur nowadays. The author expresses her vision on those topics through the short but meaningful and powerful in its brevity. The three central symbols are “fish hook”, “open eye,” and their interaction. Through the image of a hook spiking the eye, Atwood might illustrate the passionate but destructive love. Considering that the hook represents masculinity and the eye femininity, it becomes a symbol of traditional heterosexual romance and gender roles in a society where the men dominate over the women.
Work Cited
Atwood, Margaret. You fit into me. Power Politics, 1971.