Oppression Versus Self-Expression in “Aunt

Jennifer’s Tigers”

Adrienne Rich is an astonishing woman who has used her writings to confront matters of women’s
oppression and the need for women’s liberation from a world of male domination (Pope, “Rich’s Life
and Career”). “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” was an early attempt by Rich to define male and female
relationships. In “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”, Rich uses formalism to not sully herself with this topic
(“When We Dead Awaken” 22). She eloquently voices the poem in a third-person narrative which
sets herself apart from Aunt Jennifer. The prevailing theme of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” is Aunt
Jennifer’s oppression through marriage, and her utilization of embroidery as her only form of self-
expression.

In the first stanza of “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”, the speaker describes the tigers. They “prance across
a screen”. This implies that the tigers move in a lively fashion, perhaps arrogantly. They are “topaz
denizens of a world of green”. The ancient Greeks believed that topaz had the ability to increase the
strength of those who wore it, and Egyptians thought that it could protect people from physical harm
(“Topaz”). The speaker may be using the word topaz for its golden color, or topaz may be a
representation of the strength and impenetrability of the tigers. The tigers certainly seem to be aware
of their own power since they have no fear of “the men beneath the tree”.

In the last line of the first stanza the tigers “pace in sleek chivalric certainty”. The pacing of the tigers
may represent fluid and controlled motion, as compared to the frolicking movement of the first line.
However, the tigers may be pacing back and forth, because their movement is restricted to their tree
top since there are men present below them. The use of the word “sleek” is a quandary. The tigers
may be attractive and healthy, or they may contain that male quality of suaveness which is so often
insincere. Yet, it is a “sleek chivalric certainty”. To be chivalrous is to be honorable and unwaveringly
brave including behavior towards women. Being honorable often implies sincerity. Therefore, “sleek
chivalric” is either meant as an oxymoron, or the tigers are attractive and considerate towards
women.

In the second stanza Aunt Jennifer is doing needlework. Her fingers are “fluttering through her wool”
as she stitches. This fluttering may be the graceful movement of her fingers as she works. On the
other hand, Aunt Jennifer’s fluttering fingers may be a sign of agitation within Aunt Jennifer. In this
case, the latter seems more likely, because Aunt Jennifer is having difficulty pulling her needle as
she stitches. Yet, what does Aunt Jennifer have to be nervous about?

Uncle, perhaps? His wedding ring “sits heavily upon” her hand. The ring itself is certainly not so
heavy as to impede her stitching. The ring seems to be symbolic of Uncle. Therefore, he is the one
who is hampering Aunt Jennifer. If the ring represents Uncle then how is he heavy? He cannot
possibly be sitting on her. Is he demanding, severe, violent, oppressive, or even a villain? Any of
these options are plausible since the speaker does not provide any information for them to be
contested. However, Uncle is conceivably having negative effects on Jennifer’s emotional state if
she is displaying physical signs of agitation.
In the third stanza, the speaker describes the grim image of Aunt Jennifer’s corpse having “terrified
hands” which are “still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by”. The speaker is stating that Jennifer
has true fear of something in order to be terrified. By utilizing the word “ringed”, the speaker seems
to be referring back to the wedding ring or “Uncle” as it were. Uncle seems to be the master who put
Jennifer through ordeals and “mastered” her leaving her “terrified”. These ordeals may be why
Jennifer chose to use ivory needles for her creations. After all, the Chinese believe that ivory
protects the physical body (Kapadiaat). However, ivory comes from animals which are mastered and
destroyed by men as well.

It has been discerned that Uncle causes Aunt Jennifer anxiety, and that he is dominating her through
his mastery. Therefore, Uncle is oppressive. Yet, Uncle is synonymous with Aunt Jennifer’s wedding
ring. Is the speaker trying to explicate that marriage is oppressive? The first line of the second
stanza states that Aunt Jennifer is working with wool. Wool is a material that often comes from
sheep. Sheep is a term which is often used to describe people who are conventional or traditional.
Marriage itself is a convention, a tradition. Perhaps, Aunt Jennifer is anxiety-ridden, because of her
choice to be traditional and get married into an oppressive institution.

Also, there is the familiar saying to “pull the wool over somebody’s eyes”. Maybe Aunt Jennifer feels
deceived in her belief of what marriage is supposed to be. The wool is no longer covering Aunt
Jennifer’s eyes. It is now in her hands, a material for her to work with and continuously ponder as
she stitches. Aunt Jennifer may have regrets about her marriage, and her lack of understanding how
oppressive it would be to her. Yet, she puts her energy into creating an ideal in her tigers, “the tigers
in the panel that she made”. Aunt Jennifer’s needlework allows her to express her thoughts and
feelings which she cannot otherwise express. Her tigers are strong and chivalrous, rather than weak
and oppressive. Her tigers will continue “prancing, proud and unafraid” after she is gone. The tigers
represent what Jennifer believes marriage and men should be, while at the same time representing
the strength which Jennifer wishes that she possessed. The needlework which seems to consume
Aunt Jennifer is her way of coping with her lot in life.