Theme of the Poem:
The poem entitled ‘The Bangle Sellers’ was written by Sarojini Naidu who was called the Nightingale of India and has been regarded as one of the gifted poets of India. Her poetry is purely Indian in character. Her themes, thoughts and melody are Indian. She loved the common folk of India and celebrates their joys and sorrows in a number of her beautiful lyrics. The pageantry of Indian life fascinated her and she sings of it with zest. Indian customs and traditions, festivals and celebrations, men and women, fairs and feasts are abundant in her poetry.
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| Poem The Bangle Sellers—Theme and Critical Analysis |
The poem The Bangle Sellers belongs to the third section of 'Indian Folk Songs' of her second book ‘The Bird of Time'. This poem is a perfect epitome of typical Indian scene. It draws our attention on the social, religious and symbolic value of the bangles in Indian culture. The wearing of bangles is suggestive of happiness, joy, peace and prosperity. The poem glorifies the idea of Indian womanhood. In the poem, the bangle seller tries to convince buyers of the spiritual and symbolic importance of his bangles in a traditional Indian set up. Each stage of an Indian woman's life has been described according to the colour of bangles suitable at that stage from a dreamy maiden to an excited bride and finally to a mature matriarch.
The poem not only portrays the life of traditional Indian women, it also portrays the life of the bangle sellers. While selling the bangles, the bangle seller seems to be using a joyous voice and presents his wares (the bangles) as token of happiness though he seems to be concealing his sufferings and hardships. The heaviness of the bangles, i.e., 'shining loads' is the only reference made to the hardships of bangle sellers.
The poem is an expression of stages in a woman's life in traditional Indian society. The entire concept of making connection between different coloured bangles and their role in imparting happiness to young maidens, brides, wives and mothers is rooted in Indian culture. The bangles they sell are of symbolic and religious importance and their colour representing the various stages in the life of a typical Indian woman. The bangles are a part and parcel of a woman's life in India. Each colour or type of the bangles represents each stage in her life. Silver and blue or pink represent the stage of maidenhood. Yellow (the morning of wedding), fiery red (passionate longings in the bride's heart, symbolic of her bridal night) are representative of the girl's wedding. Gold and grey colours represent motherhood and matriarchy.
The poetess has mentioned the role and dominance of males in a woman's life in an indirect way. Many hints of patriarchal set up are found in the poem. A man performs an important role in woman's life as a father, husband and son. The last four lines have been criticized as a tacit approval of patriarchal ideology by the poetess. In the last four lines the poetess says that the hands of the middle-aged married woman have cared, loved, blessed and brought up her fair sons and she has proudly served her family and has the honour of sitting by her husband side at religious ceremonies. The poetess has showed feeling of gender discrimination in the male - dominated society of India.
Critical Analysis of the Poem:
Introduction of the Poem:
The poem “Bangle Sellers” was first published in the year 1912 by Sarojini Naidu in her collection of poems called The Bird of Time. The poem is associated with bangles and the implementation of roles assigned to a woman in a traditional Indian society. The poetess makes strong connections between the bangles and their role in giving happiness to daughters, wives and mothers. The poetess shows that the bangles which the hawkers sell, are of religious and symbolic importance. No Indian widow is permitted to wear bangles. Hence the wearing of bangles is considered to be very auspicious and of great symbolic value for married women and aspiring brides. The significant factor of the poem is that the bangle seller does not say a word about his poverty, nor does he say anything about the profit or loss. His focus is only on the human element associated to bangles. The poem is a lyric which depicts the social and. cultural life of Indian women through various images associated with bangles.
Form and Structure of the Poem:
The entire poem has a structure where each stanza focuses on a particular theme. The first stanza depicts the merchants' shouting at the temple fair to attract the attention of the people passing by. The consequent stanzas focus on bangles of various colours the sellers have for women of all different ages. There is simple rhyme scheme of aabbcc for each stanza. With mostly octosyllabic lines the poem has no distinctive metre, but one has an apprehension of the same due to the use of easy language and a general fluidity of words.
The Use of Imagery:
Images have been used here for describing the colours and textures of the glass bangles being on sale in the temple fair. Colour associated word ‘rainbow’ includes seven colours that gives the effect of all shades of life particularly the happy moments, as the season in which rainbow is seen is pleasant and happy. Also, the word ‘radiant’ expresses in the bright glow emanating joy and happiness.
“Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.”
Each of the next three stanzas deals with the three stages in the life of an average Indian woman—a virgin maiden, an expectant bride and finally a mature matriarch. In the lines given below, silver and blue colours stand for mist in which nothing is clearly visible the unknown future in which an inexperienced girl's life is advancing. She is compared to a bud yet to unfurl.
"Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream.”
The subsequent stanzas describe through lush and natural imagery the beauty of the bangles and their representation of these ideals help to increase their precious value. Some of these descriptions invoke the passion of 'marriage's fire'.
"Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heat's desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear."
The last stanza brings to light the socially accepted role of women in this setting. The purple and gray flecked bangle is meant to symbolize a woman who serves her household in fruitful pride and worships the gods at her husband's side.
"Some are purple and gold flecked grey,
For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast.
Who serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband's side.”
The Use of Figures of Speech:
The poetess has used the figure of speech metaphor in the following line:
“Rainbow-tinted circles of light.”
In the above line, the colours of the bangles are likened to the colours of the rainbow and the light reflected by the bangles gives it the appearance of being made of light.
The line 'Silver and blue as the mountain mist' is an instance of a simile. Here, the colour of the bangle is compared to the mist of the mountains.
The line 'Some are like fields of sunlit corn' is a simile. Here the comparison is made between the yellow corn fields bathed in sunlight and the yellow coloured bangles.
Further in the following lines, the poetess has used the figure of speech simile:
"Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire.”
The red bangles here become symbolic of a new bride's love and desire for her husband.
“Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear."
The tinkling of the bangles is compared to a young bride's laughter and the luminosity of the bangles is likened to her tears.
Next the poetess has used alliteration. In the third stanza each line makes use of this figure of speech:
“Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.”