Analysis Of Never To Dream Of Spiders By Audre Lorde

Essay #1: Poetry Analysis
The writing style used in Audre Lorde’s poem, “Never to Dream of Spiders” is so unique, it can be read and interpreted in many different ways. In my perspective, loss, sadness, and healing are the major focuses. This poem goes deep into the mind of a woman going through heartbreak. It begins with a break up and ends with her finally accepting it, and becoming happy again. Starting with the first stanza, she speaks of how her days are going by without purpose. Nearing the end, she finds a way to her happiness again. Between all of it, she grieves but also reminisces and realizes that she should be happy even with a heartbreak occurring. The symbolism shown throughout the poem supports my belief of the poem being about a woman and heartbreak.

Starting with the first stanza, lines one and two begin as, “Time collapses between the lips of strangers my days collapse into a hollow tube...” I interpret this to time is becoming lost, just morphing together to form meaningless days.

Her days are going by without purpose. Symbolism then begins to show dramatically following with lines 5-7, “my eyes are blocked with rubble, a smear of perspectives blurring each horizon.” The word rubble signifies the wrong that was involved in her relationship and the phrase “blurring each horizon” signifies that she couldn’t see past all the wrong until now.
The second stanza immediately shows symbolism starting with the first few words. Line 10 begins with, “Once the renegade flesh was gone.” The use of the phrase, “renegade flesh” within this poem symbolizes the person who was causing the hurting. Renegade involves synonyms such as: traitor, deserter, and rebel, thus contributing to the meaning behind the phrase. Then throughout the rest of the stanza, the woman resumes talking about her time slowly going by until she begins to completely give up on

life.
The phrase starting off the third stanza in lines 16 and 17, “The smell of your neck in August a fine gold wire bejeweling war” symbolizes her wearing her past proudly. She shows that she is proud to be over her relationship and she no longer needs a man to be happy. The next part of the phrase helps complete the meaning, all the rest lies illusive as a farmhouse on the other side of a valley vanishing in the afternoon” (lines 18-21). This explains that everything else that reminded her of her past and the person she lost, is finally completely gone. She is now capable of completely healing herself of hurt.
The whole poem is brought together to a happy end in the final stanza. The stanza begins as the woman counts down her days until she is completely free of her unhappiness.