19 pages • 38 minutes read
Elizabeth BishopThe Shampoo
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1955A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Moon
In Stanza 1, the lichens have "arranged / to meet the rings around the moon" (Lines 4-5), and the moon might symbolize the friend's hair or perhaps the activity of washing the friend's hair. A moon can have a circular, oval shape, and so can a person's head on which their hair grows. Maybe the moon represents a specific part of the friend’s head since the lichens form "gray, concentric shocks" (Line 3), and there were gray streaks in the hair of Lota—the "dear friend" (Line 9) and inspiration behind the poem. In this reading, the gray streaks/shocks meet somewhere around the moon part of the friend's head.
The speaker compares the "big tin basin" (Line 17) in which the hair washing takes place to a "battered and shiny" (Line 18) moon, which bolsters the idea that the moon symbolizes the friend's hair and the process of shampooing it. The speaker presents the speaker's hair and the objects used to wash the hair in the context of the moon, so the entire procedure takes on the magisterial allure of a glowing moon. With the moon symbolism, Bishop reinforces the natural qualities of the shampoo and the transcendental elements in the world of the speaker and their friend.
The Heavens
The "heavens" (Line 7) represent an otherworldly aspect in the poem, as the heavens introduce a spiritual and religious idea into the world of the natural speaker and their dear friend. The "heavens" suggest that the pair of friends reside in a paradisiacal place where time is flexible, so the speaker and their friend can do as they wish. In this case, the speaker wishes to wash their friend's hair. In a sense, the "heavens" symbolizes the blessed relationship between the two friends. They're fortunate that the "heavens will attend" (Line 7) to them and that they can create enchantment out of ordinary activities like shampooing. It's as if the speaker and their friend have made a Garden of Eden. As long as they continue to carry out their transcendent activity (the speaker washing their dear friend's hair), heaven should continue to dote on them. In the context of religious symbolism, the act of shampooing serves as a fulfilling, spiritual rite.
Volatility and Natural Forces
Although Bishop creates an "amenable" (Line 12) atmosphere for her speaker and their friend, the heavenly landscape is not entirely peaceful. In Line 1, there are "explosions" ("still explosions," but explosions nonetheless) "on the rocks." Then, there are "shocks" (Line 3), "shooting stars" (Line 13), and a "battered" (Line 18) moon. These words suggest the idea of violence and volatility, yet the violence doesn't appear to threaten the speaker or their friend. As volatility is a part of nature—tornadoes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters can be destructive and lethal—it makes sense for all parts of nature to have a presence in this organic paradise. As the speaker and their friend have identities entwined with nature, they're used to its force, so it's not a big deal.
The motif of violence and force relates to the shampooing because it underscores the power of the activity. When the speaker washes their friend's hair, it's not an ordinary event: It's an otherworldly process that sets off a series of forceful, violent eruptions. As the abused basin, the explosions, and the additional violent terms relate to shampooing, shampooing turns into a galvanizing, propulsive activity, and the motif of violence plays into the marvelous experience of the speaker and their friend.
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By Elizabeth Bishop
