A Story About The Body

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A Story about the Body

People have different perceptions of beauty. The variation in beauty perceptions

determines how people see other things in life. Robert Hass’s poem “A Story About the Body”

examines the different notions and views about beauty. The poem is about a young composer

who falls in love with a Japanese painter. Although both are attracted to each other, the Japanese

painter has a secret that turns away her young suitor. The poem is an excellent portrayal of the

different beauty perceptions and how they impact people’s relationships.

The poem’s central message is about the various perceptions of beauty in society.

Perceived beauty is not in the quality of things but rather in the viewer’s mind. While one person

may perceive as deformed may be perceived as perfect by another, showing how people view

beauty differently. In the poem, the young composer is attracted to the sixty-year-old Japanese

painter for her outward perfection and beauty. The young man “loved her work, and her work

was like the way she moved her body…” The young composer thinks that Japanese work is

excellent just as her body. He is awed by her outward perfection. However, the young

composer’s feelings were more of an infatuation than real love. On learning about the woman’s

mastectomy, he walks away from her to her dismay. The poem is a perfect portrayal of how

people perceive things from their outward nature. The poem emphasizes how looks can deceive

people, as beautiful things tend to be more attractive. However, a closer examination may bring
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out the hidden faults. The poem thus teaches the readers that life’s reality is will always be lesser

than expectations and that people should be ready to counter any disappointments.

Lastly, the poem uses symbolism to send a moral lesson to the readers. After the young

man walks away from the painter, he wakes up to a small blue bowl outside his door, filled with

rose petals at the top and dead bees at the bottom. The roses and bees are symbolically used to

portray the Japanese painter’s external beauty, and the reality about her body, how her beauty

masked her imperfection. The poem illustrates the difference between real love and infatuation.

A person who has genuine intentions will not allow physical appearance to ruin their love. The

composer’s shallowness and inability to accept the painter’s reality show that his intentions were

not genuine. This emphasizes the need to appreciate people despite their differences.

Additionally, although people may seem okay on the outside, they might be dying on the inside.

The poem asks people to consider checking on each other, even when things seem fine.
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Works Cited

Hass, Robert. “A Story About the Body.”

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