Poem Analysis - Before I Knocked

Introduction: A Prenatal Purgatory

Dylan Thomas's "Before I Knocked" is a haunting exploration of existence before birth, a journey through a surreal, almost purgatorial state. The poem presents a speaker reflecting on a time before physical form, navigating a world of sensory impressions without tangible experience. The tone is initially mystical and detached, shifting to one of suffering and, finally, a resigned acceptance of mortality. The poem's central preoccupation is with the paradox of experiencing life before life actually begins.

Themes of Suffering and Predestination

One prominent theme is suffering. Even before physical birth, the speaker describes a "rack of dreams" that twists their "lily bones," suggesting inherent pain in existence itself. This suffering extends to a pre-natal knowledge of death, symbolized by "gallow crosses on the liver" and "brambles in the wringing brains." Another theme is predestination. The speaker feels subject to forces beyond their control, swept into existence ("time cast forth my mortal creature") seemingly without choice. This is further underscored by the reference to the father's "dying christ" which implies an inherited fate tied to religious suffering and sacrifice. Finally, the poem touches upon the theme of identity. The speaker struggles to define themself in this pre-birth state, existing as something "neither a ghost nor man, but mortal ghost," caught between the spiritual and the physical, hinting at the complexities of human existence itself.

Imagery of the Womb: Water, Weather, and Darkness

Thomas employs vivid imagery to paint a picture of the pre-natal environment. Water is a recurring symbol, representing the amniotic fluid ("liquid hands tapped on the womb") and the shapelessness of the speaker's initial state ("as shapeless as the water"). Weather imagery, such as "the message of the winter," "darted hail," and "childish snow," suggests a constant, often harsh, external influence shaping the speaker's development. The pervasive sense of darkness ("I knew not sun nor moon by name," "Ungotten I knew night and day") reinforces the idea of a hidden, mysterious world before conscious awareness, one of potential and unformed being.

Symbolism: The Father and the Mortal Condition

The father figure appears in a complex symbolic role. Initially, he is presented as a powerful, almost cosmic force, "swinging" the "leaden stars" and "rainy hammer" from his "dome." This suggests the father's role in shaping the speaker's reality, perhaps representing genetic inheritance or divine influence. However, the final mention of the father, connected to "his dying christ," complicates this image. It implies a legacy of suffering and sacrifice passed down through generations. The "dying christ" may symbolize the universal human condition, burdened by mortality. The "maggot in my stool" serves as a stark reminder of physical existence and decay, a blunt acknowledgement of the less palatable aspects of being alive and human.

Mortality's Feather: A Final Acceptance

The conclusion of the poem offers a poignant reflection on mortality. The speaker is "struck down by death's feather," an image that is both gentle and inevitable. This could be interpreted as an acceptance of the transient nature of life, a recognition that death is an inherent part of the human experience. The final plea to "Remember me and pity Him" suggests a universal connection between all beings, a shared fate of suffering and mortality, linking the individual experience to a broader, almost religious, understanding of existence. The poem leaves us contemplating the profound mystery of life before life, and the inescapable reality of its end.