Habitation By Margaret Atwood

The description of marriage in the poem “Habitation” written by Margaret Atwood is very similar to the courtship of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. The poem describes marriage using many metaphors that may be difficult to understand, but after analysis, they are simple and seem to be describing the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy. The poem “Habitation” is very interesting because of how similar its description of marriage is to the courtship of Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

The poem “Habitation” is filled with metaphors that may be difficult to understand, yet are vital to see the similarity between this poem and Pride and Prejudice. This first stanza of this poem states that “marriage

is not a house, or even a tent” which means that marriage is not based on physical items and wealth. This relates to Pride and Prejudice because although Darcy was very rich, Elizabeth and her family were not. Darcy gained next to nothing compared to his massive estate when he married Elizabeth.

He married her for love, not money and property. The poem moves in the next single line to make the first stanza seem like it means something completely different. The next line says, “It is before that, and colder.” This line is one of the most confusing lines of the poem. Maybe it could mean that marriage is one of the oldest known rituals, it existed before the house or even the tent. This line, if meaning the second option, does not relate to Pride and Prejudice at all. Moving on, the next stanza is by far the biggest. It is chock full of thick figurative language. The first section says, “The edge of the forest, the edge of the desert.” This section could be a metaphor for a journey. Darcy and Elizabeth are at the beginning of their journey of marriage. They are staring a daunting task in the face. The next section of the poem is “The unpainted stairs at the back, where we squat outdoors, eating popcorn.” This piece of the poem is also very difficult to analyze. It could mean that Darcy and Elizabeth’s relationship is not perfect, it is chipped like the paint on the outdoor steps. The popcorn could be a metaphor for airiness and lightness. Although their relationship went through rough

patches, it is light and airy now that they are married. The next section is “Where painfully and with wonder at having survived this far.” This line means that the couple is confused as to how they had survived without each other not being beside them. The final line says, “We are learning to make fire.” Something that is important to note is that this line is in a stanza of its own. The author tried to make this line stand out, as it does. The fire could be a symbol for love/lust. Darcy and Elizabeth are learning to love each other. They do love each other, but the are learning to love each other forever until death. The entire poem ties together at that point. The theme is that Darcy and Elizabeth are learning to love each other. After analysis, the description of marriage in the poem “Habitation” by Margaret Atwood is very similar to the courtship of Elizabeth and Darcy Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.
After analysis, the description of marriage in the poem “Habitation” by Margaret Atwood is very similar to the courtship of Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. It is obscure how similar the two works of literature are. It almost seems like “Habitation” was written about the courtship of Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.