Poem Analysis - After The Funeral

Dylan Thomas’s "After the Funeral" is a powerful elegy that grapples with grief, memory, and the inadequacy of traditional mourning. The poem oscillates between visceral descriptions of death and an impassioned, almost defiant, attempt to create a lasting monument to the deceased, Ann. Its tone is initially stark and grotesque, shifting to a more celebratory, yet ultimately melancholic, reflection. The poem explores the tension between the simple reality of Ann's life and the grand, almost hyperbolic, artistic tribute the speaker seeks to create.

The Poet’s Purpose: Monumentalizing Love

One of the central themes is the speaker's struggle to memorialize Ann authentically. He rejects conventional expressions of grief, finding them insufficient. The poem wrestles with the question of how to truly honor a life, especially a life lived humbly. He seeks to create a lasting artistic monument, using his words to build a "skyward statue" to replace the simple reality of her death. This is evident in the lines "But I, Ann's bard on a raised hearth, call all / The seas to service that her wood-tongued virtue / Babble like a bellbuoy over the hymning heads." Here, the speaker elevates himself to the role of bard, using the power of language to immortalize Ann's essence.

Mortality's Grip and its Grotesque Manifestations

Mortality is a pervasive theme, vividly rendered through grotesque and unsettling imagery. The opening lines offer a stark depiction of death's physical effects: "muffle-toed tap / Tap happily of one peg in the thick / Grave's foot, blinds down the lids, the teeth in black, / The spittled eyes, the salt ponds in the sleeves." This imagery evokes a sense of decay and the body's vulnerability. The "desolate boy who slits his throat / In the dark of the coffin" is a particularly disturbing image, highlighting the despair and finality associated with death. This relentless focus on the physicality of death underscores the speaker's desire to transcend it through art.

The Duality of Ann: Humble Life, Monumental Tribute

The poem contrasts Ann's humble, almost self-effacing life with the grand memorial the speaker envisions. He acknowledges her simplicity: "Her flesh was meek as milk, but this skyward statue / With the wild breast and blessed and giant skull / Is carved from her." The description of her "scrubbed and sour humble hands" and "threadbare whisper" emphasizes her unassuming nature. Yet, the speaker feels compelled to create a monument that is disproportionate to her earthly existence. This raises a question: is the speaker truly honoring Ann, or is he projecting his own artistic ambitions onto her memory?

Recurring Symbols: A Visual Tapestry

Several recurring symbols enrich the poem's meaning. The stuffed fox and stale fern represent a stagnant, lifeless environment, perhaps symbolic of the superficiality of conventional mourning. Water imagery, such as "salt ponds in the sleeves" and the "holy flood of her heart's fame," appears throughout, suggesting both grief and the potential for purification and renewal. The image of the "brown chapel" suggests a place of comfort and community, transformed by Ann's love. The birds, "blessed" and "crossing," bring associations with freedom, peace, and perhaps a connection to the divine, blessing her bent spirit.

Final Reflection: Art as a Response to Loss

In conclusion, "After the Funeral" is a complex and moving exploration of grief and the power of art. The poem highlights the tension between the raw reality of death and the human need to create meaning and permanence in the face of loss. Ultimately, the poem leaves us with a sense of both the inadequacy and the necessity of artistic expression as a way to grapple with the profound mystery of death and to keep the memory of loved ones alive, even in the face of their absence. The speaker’s monumental praise, regardless of its accuracy, is a testament to the enduring power of love and memory, storming forever over her grave.