The Childlike Interpretation in Elizabeth Bishop’s Poem “First Death in Nova Scotia”

Chenlu Wu

【Abstract】“Interpretation” is a prominent theme in Elizabeth Bishops poem “First Death in Nova Scotia”. It is from a childs perspective that Bishop observes and interprets the death of her cousin. However, during the process of interpretation, the chromographs cause misinterpretation and fail to provide the whole picture. At the same time, there are many literary features such as simile, metaphor, imagery and so on. Bishop also tries to understand what is happening by means of association, imagination and assumption.

【Key words】Interpretation; Misinterpretation

【作者简介】Chenlu Wu(1999. 06-), female, Han, born in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, an undergraduate student in Class 1701 of International Chinese Education in Chinese College of Jiangsu University, the main direction of research: intercultural communication, Chinese ancient literature and elementary textbooks.

【基金項目】This research is a phased achievement of the practical innovation training program for college students of Jiangsu University in 2019.

Introduction

Elizabeth Bishops “First Death in Nova Scotia” involves readers in the process of interpretation, endeavoring to understand death out of details. During that process, photographs fail to provide the whole situation and tend to cause misinterpretation, showing their limitations. This essay will firstly analyze how Bishop interprets her cousins death, and then come to the limitations of photographic knowledge. It is from a childs perspective that she tries to make sense of death by means of association, imagination, assumptions and so on.

1. The Process of Interpretation

1.1 The General Impression

At first, Little Bishop makes some associations, since it is difficult for a young girl who has never attended a funeral before to understand what death is. In the “cold parlor” (1), she sees some objects and naturally make mental connections. What is above Arthurs coffin is chromographs of royalty and there is “a stuffed loon”(8)beside the coffin. Then Bishop is attracted by the loon, observing it carefully.

1.2 The Stuffed Loon

The concrete and vivid depict of the dead loon implies little Arthur and the loon are similar to each other to some extent. The personification of the bird leads to confusion and misinterpretation. Little Bishops childlike fantasy can be seen from “Since Uncle Arthur fired/a bullet into him, /he hadnt said a word” (11-13). The use of pronouns such as “him” (12)and “he” (13) seems to provide the bird with the ability to speak and act. Bishop imagines that the loon has something to say but it fails, because it has been lifeless, just like the dead and quiet boy. The purpose of mentioning “Uncle Arthur” (11) here is unknown, but readers are likely to connect the shooting to the funeral and think about the reason of little Arthurs death, the harsh and cruel reality. The girls imagination continues in the following lines. The “white, frozen lake” (15) is a metaphor for “the marble-topped table” (16). Although the loon is in the parlor, little Bishop cant help imaging its inhabitant in nature instead of the room. As to the imagery of “white” (15) and “red” (19), on one hand, they symbolize purity and vitality; on the other hand, they have connotations of death and blood, yet little Bishop might fail to think of that scene deeply and regards it as interesting simply.

1.3 The Contact with the Coffin

When Bishop comes near little Arthur who lies in little coffin, the presence of the coffin seems strange and unfamiliar to Bishop, thus she makes the following connections between the strange coffin and some common objects. “Arthurs coffin was /a little frosted cake” (27-28)is a simile. The little girl can not help connecting his coffin with a “frosted cake” (29)which is more familiar to young children. The imagery of white and “red” (29) appears again in front of Bishops eyes. What she gives to her cousin is “one lily of the valley” (25), which looks tiny and delicate, easy for the little girl to hold in her hands. The lily represents not only death but purity and blessing, so it is suitable for a little boys funeral. In terms of red, Bishop imagines that “the red-eyed loon eyed it /from his white, frozen lake” (29-30). She personifies the bird again by using the pronoun “his” (30) and even feels the poor bird desires the delicious cake that is actually a coffin. Therefore, the cold funeral may become a little more relaxing and interesting, and the death seems to become easier to understand.

1.4 The Fairy Tale of Jack Forest

In the fourth stanza, little Arthurs perpetual state of lifelessness seems to be known and accepted by little Bishop. The childlike simile here shows the innocent girls process of observing and comprehending. She connects her little cousin with one item that is popular among children. She feels that he is “like a doll, that hadnt been painted yet” (32-33). In addition, little Bishop thinks of fairy tales. She assumes that it is Jack Frost who always paints maple leaves in autumn, but he fails to paint Arthur red completely and leaves “him white, forever”(40). The imagery of “white” (40) here implies that it is impossible for little Arthur to come back to life. The word “forever” (40) shows the young girls understands the opinion of mortality and the fact that Arthur is gone forever.

1.5 The Afterlife of Little Arthur

In the ending lines of the poem, Bishops imagines the afterlife of her cousin to make sense of death, but is still a little confused. She pays attention to “The gracious royal couples” (41) once again as she does in the beginning of the poem. There is a contrast between the “warm” (42) royal and the cold little boy. Bishop imagines little Arthur as “the smallest page at court” (46) who can live a wealthy and glorious life, which is not completely impossible. However, Bishop raises a question as to if it is possible for her cousin to live with royalty in his afterlife in the case of his lifelessness. The imagery of “red” (42) and white “lily” (48) and “snow” (50) reveals the harsh reality that poor Arthur is unable to live as heavenly life like “gracious” (41). Bishop seems to come to realize that a dead person will never come back to life after passing away.

2. The Limitations of Photographic Knowledge: Misinterpretation Caused by Chromographs

However, during the process of interpretation, photographic knowledge shows its limitations. According to Susan Sontags “In Platos Cave”, photographs are likely to provide “a semblance of knowledge” (24). More specifically, the photographs in Bishops poem and Yongs poem run a risk of providing incomplete information and leading to misinterpretation.

2.1 The Failure to Provide the Whole Picture

The chromographs cause little Bishops misinterpretation during the process of her childlike interpretation. At first, the chromophotos dont provide much information for Bishop to understand and what is happening and what the funeral means, so she turns to other objects for comprehension. Compared to the dead loon, the white lily and something like that, the chromographs are not that relavent to the funeral. Bishop doesnt know why that kind of colorful item are put in the cold and pale parlor. The connection and purpose is confusing. Other items in the parlor are more informative.

2.2 The Misguidance of Photographs

Nevertheless, the colourful photos are so conspicuous in contrast to the drab and “cold parlor”(1) that they impress themselves on her mind. The last stanza echoes the chromographs at the beginning of the poem. Photos mislead Bishop when she turns her attention to them again. She imagines what kind of afterlife her dead cousin might have. The royalty in the colourful photos seems to take little Arthur to the wealthy court and bring him a colourful life. However, after a long process of endeavoring to make sense of the funeral, the girl comes to know that the death of her cousin means that he will not go to the court or heaven, and he will keep lying in the coffin quietly forever.  Therefore, there is a risk of photographic knowledge.

3. Conclusion

There is childlike interpretation of death in Elizabeth Bishops “First Death in Nova Scotia”. Bishop observes objects like the loon and the coffin at the funeral to construct meaning.

References：

[1]Elizabeth, Bishop. First Death in Nova Scotia[D]. Blackboard Resources for English 1037: Photography in Literature, Nipissing University, 2020.

[2]Susan, Sontag. In Platos Cave[D]. Course Materials for English 1037: Photography in Literature, Nipissing University, 2020.