"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers": Symbolic Importance Exemplified

"Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich is a  poem that utilizes the complete power of symbolism to illustrate the complex ideas portrayed in this piece. Two major symbols in this poem are the tigers and Aunt Jennifer's wedding ring. The tigers which prance and pace along Aunt Jennifer's tapestries are symbolic of the person Aunt Jennifer wishes she could be. The tigers are strong, proud, and courageous. Aunt Jennifer wishes she could be as carefree and tenacious as the "topaz denizens" of her artwork. She lives vicariously through her tapestries as tigers who have no fear or uncertainty. Her artwork and her tigers symbolize everything that Aunt Jennifer wishes she had in her life, and she knows that her memory will be carried on through her tapestries long after she is gone. A wedding ring is a universal symbol of love and commitment. Wedding rings are typically a positive symbol, however in this poem Aunt Jennifer's wedding ring is viewed negatively. It is described as a "massive weight" sitting heavily upon her hand. The wedding ring is a symbol of constraint and control. It mirrors Aunt Jennifer's anxiety and the melancholy relationship she has with her husband. These two symbols work together to exemplify Aunt Jennifer's attempts of escaping her unhappy marriage through the means of her artwork. These symbols are essential in revealing the ideas woven carefully through this piece of literature. Through the tigers and the wedding ring the reader can truly begin to understand the depths of Aunt Jennifer's emotions and together they make this a very powerful poem to read.