A Poetic Reading of Symbolism in Richard Murphy’s The Woman of the House

Document Type : Original Article

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English Department, Faculty of Arts, Damietta University

Abstract

Richard Murphy’s Irish identity has always been questioned by many critics. They positioned him between two fighting literary traditions: Irish and British because of his Anglo-Irish ancestry. Nonetheless, a fair appreciation of the poet’s oeuvre illustrates his loyalty to his motherland. Murphy restlessly centers his poetics on recovering the Irish past and exploring its genuine inheritance. The Woman of the House is employed in the current study to investigate the accuracy of this standpoint. Therefore, the paper explores the poem on two levels of meaning. The first is narrowly personal oriented on lamenting the death of his grandmother and enumerating her distinguished personal traits. Digging deeper beneath this superficial message, the argument discloses a series of symbols. Their primary job is demonstrating the appalling consequences of the island’s colonial history and attempting to engage with the lost Irish cultural legacy and tradition. Among many other symbols, wedding rings, cholera, and Irish literary figures are utilized as emblems of the Irish Gaelic heritage, the evils of imperialism, and the individuality of the Irish literary tradition, respectively. Hence, the target of the present paper is unveiling one of Murphy’s masterpieces through the lens of symbolism to accentuate the poet’s sincere Irishness and devotion to his countrymen. Unlike Murphy’s other collections, the book-length poem has not witnessed a significant critical reception. Accordingly, examining it contributes to the canonical literary appreciation of the Irish poet.

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