ELK Asia Pacific Journals – Special Issue

ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6

‘SYMBOLISM’ IN TED HUGHES’ POETRY

Dr. S.B. Radhika Bai.

‘Symbolism’ is a technique used in literature profound than the literal one. The
when some things are not to be taken symbolism, therefore, gives universality to
literally. The symbolism can be an object, the characters and the themes of a piece of
person, situation, events or actions that have literature. Symbolism in literature evokes
a deeper meaning in context. Symbolism is interest in readers as they find an
often used by writers to enhance their opportunity to get an insight of the writer’s
writing and give insight to the reader. mind on how he views the world and how he
Symbolism can give a literary work more thinks of common objects and actions,
richness and colour and can make the having broader implications.
meaning of the work deeper. In symbolism, ideas are presented
Symbolism can take different forms. obliquely through a variety of symbols. The
Generally, it is an object representing poet awakes, in the readers, a response or a
another to give it an entirely different reaction beyond the levels of ordinary
meaning that is much deeper and more consciousness.
significant. Sometimes, however, an action, The Symbolist poets are convinced
an event or a word spoken by someone may that the transient objective world is not a
have a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” true reality but a reflection of the invisible
is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the absolute. It is on this account that they
action of someone smiling at you may stand defied realism and naturalism, which are
as a symbol of the feeling of affection which aimed at capturing the transient. They do not
that person has for you. define or describe emotions or ideas directly
Symbolism gives a writer freedom to through explicit metaphors and similes but
add double levels of meanings to his work : by suggesting implicitly. Images and
A literal one that is self-evident and the symbols used through metaphors, similes,
symbolic one whose meaning is far more personification, hyperboles and other figures
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ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6

of speech are potent tools in the hands of a British literature.’ The same poet's poetry is
poet to convey his meaning and message. termed ‘a dismaying badness,’ ‘a raw-sex-
violence imagery.’ All this is in bitter
Edward James "Ted" Hughes, (17 condemnation which is evident from his
August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an uncompromising, obsessive preoccupation
English poet and children's writer. Critics with beasts, birds, plants, insects, landscapes
routinely rank him as one of the best poets and other wild living- beings in the natural
of his generation. Hughes was British Poet world, which finds a permanent place in all
Laureate from 1984 until his death. Hughes his voluminous anthologies of poems.
was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, Hughes’s lengthy career included
from 1956 until her suicide in 1963 at the over a dozen books of poetry, translations,
age of 30. His part in the relationship non-fiction and children’s books, such as the
became controversial to some feminists and famous The Iron Man (1968). His books of
(particularly) American admirers of Plath. poems include: Wolfwatching (1990),
His last poetic work, Birthday Letters Flowers and Insects (1986), Selected Poems
(1998), explored their complex relationship. 1957–1981 (1982), Moortown (1980), Cave
These poems make reference to Plath's Birds (1979), Crow (1971), and Lupercal
suicide, but none of them addresses directly (1960). His final collection, The Birthday
the circumstances of her death. A poem Letters (1998), published the year of his
discovered in October 2010, Last letter, death, documented his relationship with
describes what happened during the three Sylvia Plath.
days leading up to Plath's suicide. In 2008 Hughes’s work is marked by a
The Times ranked Hughes fourth on their list mythical framework, using the lyric and
of “The 50 greatest British writers since dramatic monologue to illustrate the intense
1945”. subject matter. Animals appear frequently
Ted Hughes, a poet laureate is called throughout his work as deity, metaphor,
a ‘Zoo laureate,’ ‘an animal poet,’ ‘a poet of persona, and an icon. Perhaps the most
blood and guts,’ ‘a terror’s ambassador,’ ‘a famous of his subjects is “Crow," an
Heath cliff,’ and ‘an incredible hulk of amalgam of god, bird and man, whose
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ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6

existence seems pivotal to the knowledge of perhaps innumerable further senses.” (3).
good and evil. Drawing the analogy between his inspiration
His creation of a modern bestiary and a function performed in primitive
through the study of numerous animals and cultures, Sagar says that Hughes is a bard in
the harsh landscape of western riding, have the traditional sense and a shaman of
given individuality and originality to his primitive cultures.
poetry. He has introduced a new poetic The Ted Hughes’ poetic conception is
style, characterized by wrenched syntax and that modern man's spiritual and cultural
scansion, extraordinary yoking of failure is brought about by the schism or the
vocabulary and image. Hughes’ work shows duality between his outer rational conscious
a variety of themes and experimentation self and the inner irrational subconscious
with language. In the words of Terry self. Modern poet cannot present this
Gifford and Neil Roberts, universal theme in simple, direct narrative
He is a poet who has developed – mode. Ted Hughes had before him the role
from an early reliance on external Nature to model of T.S. Eliot, who for elucidating a
a greater metaphysical assurance and the similar theme in The Waste Land took the
creation of a distinctive imaginative world. grail legend of Miss Weston's Ritual to
(Ted Hughes : A Critical Study, 11). For Romance as his basic symbol. Hughes’ too
Keith Sagar, Ted Hughes is “a great poet in a similar attempt, found animals, birds
because he possesses the kind of and other non human and non rational
imagination which issues in the purest creatures to be potent symbols for his
poetry, charged poetry, visionary, revelatory subject. These creatures enable him to form
poetry that sees into the life of things, that his attitude to Nature and his interpretation
takes over where all other modes of of man's relationship with it symbolically.
apprehending reality falter.” (The Art of Ted In that way symbolism imparted not only
Hughes, 3). Commenting on his grandeur and dignity, but also depth and
imagination, the critic Keith Sagar suggests profundity to his imagery. It also enhanced
that it is rooted in his “unconscious, on the our level of understanding of the poem’s
racial unconscious, on his sixth sense and meaning. It is to achieve this poetic function
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ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6

that Hughes made use of striking symbols in them certain qualities which associate
and images everywhere in his poetry. He them with human beings. He weaves great
brought into play a few predatory animals philosophy around them and draws
and birds like hawks, pikes, jaguars, ghost- inferences about human behaviour by
crabs thrushes, skylarks to serve his studying them. Hawk, for the poet is a
symbolic purpose. symbol of malevolent predatory nature. It is
The Imagery in animal poems has its the poet's spokesman for interpreting nature.
own appeal. It shows Hughes enormous It is the embodiment of evil ‘otherness’. It
powers of observations and an exceptional symbolizes a relentless struggle against all
capacity to embody these observations in apt odds that oppose its survival. It represents
words. The description of animals and birds the ‘white goddess’ the female principle and
is graphic and realistic. The Language used is the embodiment of all that is grandeur in
to show his striking originality and felicity nature. It is a contrast and anti- thesis to
of expression. He sought to match the man's rationality and puniness.
violence of the subject with a language of ‘Jaguar’ is a potent symbol for
violence. He summons into service, dense illustrating the poet's theme. What the ‘tiger’
and rough vocabulary and oddly combined is for Blake, is ‘Jaguar’ for Hughes. It serves
words to form striking phrases. His heavy him as a mystical and visionary symbol. It is
and muscular words slap at the face of the an evocation of a beautiful nature spirit and
readers with the strength of his jaguar. The embodiment of primal animal energy that is
vitality, violence and ferocity of the wild suppressed and controlled by the rational
beasts and birds are forcefully brought in attitude of modern man. The caged animal
striking word pictures. symbolizes the predatory, ferocity, rage,
The Images employed by Ted blindness and deafness in human nature.
Hughes are not there just to record his visual Hughes’ makes frequent use of imagery and
impressions of the animals but they have a symbols to create a sense of living power
symbolic significance. He does not consider which, even at his most nihilistic, produces a
the animals merely as four-legged ones and note of urgency and command. (Elemental
the birds as two-winged creatures. He finds Energy: The Poetry of Ted Hughes, 107).
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ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6

Ghost crabs and pikes symbolize the coming out of it suddenly. Here the abstract
presence of dark, irrational forces at the idea is given a concrete shape. Without a
edge of man's awareness. The crabs appear direct statement of the theme Hughes
to be specialized machines for stalking, proceeds to present it obliquely in symbolic
fastening, mounting and tearing the victims words and phrases in the first line to the last
apart. with a string of images.
Hughes’ animals - hawks, jaguars The phrase ‘mid night moments
and macaws represent the fierce nature forest’ in the very first line refers to the
while the fox symbolizes the cunning and lonely and solitary environment needed to
cut-throat competition in men. They also compose a poem. The line ‘something else is
represent the heroic endurance and fortitude alive’ alludes to the thought in the poet’s
at the hours of crisis, which deserve mind that struggles to come out. The next
emulation by men. Their aggressive and lines suggest the thoughts moving restlessly
oppressive nature of these animals may in the poet's brain for expression like a fox
reflect the war like belligerent and wandering in the midnight dark forest in
imperialistic traits of the British nation to search of its hiding hole. The final stanza
which Hughes himself belongs. Hughes presents the climax when inspiration comes
animals, birds and fish may be conceived as at last and abstract thought takes a concrete
the aesthetic shapes and sources of life to shape a written expression,
combat the sterility of the poetic lines. They Till, with a sudden sharp hot
stink of fox
serve him as the poetic masks to reach the
It enters the dark hole of the
world of the spirit and reality. head.
The window is starless still;
“The Thought-Fox” is one of the
the clock ticks,
Hughes' best known animal poems. It is The page is printed. (‘The
Thought-Fox’).
about a poet sitting with pen and paper
Here ‘the dark hole of the head’ is a
waiting for the much-needed inspiration to
compressed metaphor, comparing the
write a poem. This simple theme is
thought to a fox and the fox hole to the
presented as a thought taking shape in the
poet’s brain. ‘The page is filled,’ suggests
poet’s head like a fox entering a forest and
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ISBN: 978-81-930411-1-6

that inspiration to write the poem has come [4] P.R. King, “Elemental Energy : The
and the poem is written on paper. Poetry of Ted Hughes.” Nine
Contemporary Poets. London:
Symbolically inspiration stands for instinct
Methuen, 1979. Print.
and it replaces intellect in the poet's self. [5] Ted Hughes., The Hawk in the Rain.
Hughes' use of language also contributed to London: Faber, 1957. Print.
the total effect of the poem. The mimetic
rhythm seeks to stimulate the action of the
poem. It evokes the movement of a fox
which is as cunning and eluding as that of
the poet's thoughts.
Thus, Ted Hughes’ symbols and
images are spontaneously drawn from a
wide variety of sources; yet the subtlety of
his sole purport of self-analysis and self-
expiation through suffering unites them all.
There is an inevitability about his obsessive
squaring up to the problem of modern man’s
self-alienation from nature and the
consequent spiritual torpor.

References
[1] M.H. Abrams, A Glossary of
Literary Terms. New Delhi :
Cengage, 2011. Print.
[2] Terry Gifford and Neil Roberts, Ted
Hughes: A Critical Study. London:
Faber and Faber, 1980. Print.
[3] Keith Sagar, The Art of Ted Hughes.
London: Cambridge University
Press, 1975. Print.