Sonnet

Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word!
Give back my book and take my kiss instead.
Was it my enemy or my friend I heard,
‘What a big book for such a little head!’
Come, I will show you my newest hat,
And you may watch me purse my mouth and prink!
Oh, I shall love you still, and all of that.
I never again shall tell you what I think.
I shall be sweet and crafty, soft and sly;
You will not catch me reading any more:
I shall be called a wife to pattern by;
And some day when you knock and push the door,
And some day, not too bright and not too stormy,
I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me.

              – Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950)

• Composed by Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950), an American female poet
• A Shakespearean sonnet, 14 lines, three quatrains and one couplet, rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
• A wife is the speaker in the poem
• Situation of the poem: A husband is angered by the speaker’s (wife’s) inattention for she is absorbed in reading a book. He snatches the book and says something contemptuous. Then, she begins to protest.  
• A little later, she pretends to cajole him. She doesn’t seem to protest; she seems rather submissive. She says, “You will not catch me reading any more: I shall be called a wife to pattern by”
• But then, her submission is followed by her threat. “And some day when you knock and push the door . . . I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me.”
• So, ultimately, this sonnet is a protest poem – protest against male dominion and supremacy.

Interpretation of the Poem

This poem is a sonnet composed by Edna St Vincent Millay (1892-1950), an American female poet. It is a Shakespearean sonnet that has 14 lines, divided into three quatrains and one couplet, and having rhyme scheme: abab cdcd efef gg. Written from the feminist point of view, this sonnet opposes male chauvinism.

A wife is the sole speaker in the sonnet. The very first line is a statement of protest: “Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word!” We can infer the situation that has prompted the wife to make such statements: Her husband finds her absorbed in reading a book. Angered by her inattention, he snatches the book and says something contemptuous – ‘What a big book for such a little head!’ She feels offended as her husband belittles her by thinking her incapable of reading a book – females are not made for educated work! This prompts her to protest verbally. She proceeds teasingly and sarcastically. She pretends to be cajoling her angered husband by being sweet and submissive (something expected of wives by the patriarchal society). She says, “You will not catch me reading any more: I shall be called a wife to pattern by.” But then, her submission is soon followed by her threat: “And some day when you knock and push the door . . . I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me.” Meaning, if her life is to be so, she will leave her husband one day. So, ultimately, this sonnet is a protest against male dominion and supremacy.

GLOSSARY

purse (v): to make your lips round in shape to show disapproval
prink (v): to dress in a showy manner
crafty (adj): cunning, clever at getting what you want in a dishonest way
sly (adj): acting or done in a secret or dishonest way often to trick people