Poem Analysis - The Wish

Introduction: A Consolation in Sorrow

Alexander Pushkin's "The Wish" is a short, intense exploration of love-fueled despair and the paradoxical solace found within that despair. The poem's tone is one of profound sadness, almost bordering on masochism, as the speaker embraces the pain of unrequited or difficult love. There's a shift from lamenting the present suffering to almost welcoming death, provided it comes while still experiencing the intensity of love. The poem, therefore, becomes a testament to the speaker's devotion and a strange acceptance of suffering as a defining characteristic of their existence.

Theme: Love and Suffering

One of the poem's central themes is the inseparability of love and suffering. The speaker doesn't just experience love; they experience "love’s infliction" and the "sorrow of my love." This suggests that love, in the speaker's view, is inherently linked to pain. The lines "Each moment multiplies the sadness / Within the heart of hapless love / And drives my yearning into madness" illustrate how the speaker’s love is not a source of joy but of increasing torment. The use of words like "infliction," "sadness," and "madness" underscores the destructive nature of this love, highlighting the idea that the speaker sees no love without an inherent element of suffering.

Theme: Yearning for Death as Release

The poem also explores the theme of death as a potential release from the anguish of unfulfilled love. The speaker expresses a willingness, even a desire, to die, but only "die in love!" or "If I die loving, then I pray let die!" This implies that life without love is meaningless, and only death while experiencing the intense emotion of love is acceptable. The line "No longer do I care if life goes by, / Its empty ghost will lastly set me free" reinforces the idea that the speaker views life as empty and transient, a mere "empty ghost," and that death could offer a form of liberation from emotional pain. The speaker finds value only in the intensity of the feeling, even if that feeling is predominantly sorrowful.

Theme: Isolation and Silent Suffering

Another significant theme is isolation. The speaker is "silent; I don’t dare to breathe" and "my murmur is dead," suggesting a withdrawal from the external world. The lines "My soul, sunk in a depression’s shade, / Hides in its depths the bitter exultation" or "My soul, held captive in this grief, / In tears alone finds consolation" paint a picture of someone consumed by their inner turmoil, finding a twisted kind of satisfaction in their suffering. This isolation further emphasizes the intensity of the speaker's internal experience, as if the world outside is irrelevant compared to the overwhelming emotions within.

Imagery: Tears and Darkness as Symbols of Despair

The poem uses potent imagery to convey the speaker's emotional state. The recurring image of tears ("I shed my tears; my tears – my consolation" and "I weep, my tears are my salvation") symbolizes both the speaker's sorrow and a form of release. Tears are not just expressions of pain but also a means of finding "consolation" and "salvation," indicating a complex relationship with grief. The "depression's shade" and the "dark" where dreams "vanish" evoke a sense of gloom and hopelessness, emphasizing the oppressive weight of the speaker's emotions. These images create a vivid picture of the speaker's internal landscape, dominated by sorrow and a longing for release.

Conclusion: A Paradoxical Embrace of Pain

"The Wish" is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the human capacity to find solace in even the deepest despair. The speaker's paradoxical desire to die while still experiencing the pain of love reveals a complex understanding of existence, where suffering and passion are intertwined. The poem is not simply a lament but a declaration of the speaker's commitment to feeling deeply, even if that feeling is predominantly negative. It invites us to contemplate the nature of love, the meaning of suffering, and the possibility of finding a strange form of liberation within the embrace of despair. Ultimately, Pushkin's poem suggests that for some, the intensity of emotion, even when painful, is preferable to the emptiness of a life devoid of passion.