Reading Response #7 – Habitation by Margaret Atwood

Autumn Arrington
Habitation by Margaret Atwood is a short and simple poem about marriage. The poem's general
theme is that marriage is not always easy but worth it because of love. The type of love this
poem conveys is a mixture of pragma and storge. Atwood simultaneously talks about all
marriages in a general sense while also telling a story about one specific marriage. She starts by
saying what marriage is not: a house or even a tent. Then throughout the poem she says what
marriage is: the edge of the forest, the edge of the desert, the edge of the receding glacier. My
understanding of this is: marriage is not under shelter; it is outside in the elements. I interpreted
this as: marriage is the opposite of comfort. What I mean by this is, being married to another
person can be uncomfortable at first. Learning to live with them, make decisions with them, and
love them no matter what can be difficult. It is the opposite of being alone; where there is no
need to adjust to another person’s presence. Being without a spouse is like being in your comfort
zone. There is no need to change when you are already comfortable, but comfort does not equal
happiness. So, marriage being the opposite of comfort is a good thing. Being married brings
people out of their comfort zones, and challenges them to commit to one person even if it is not
always comfortable.
The story I believe Atwood to be telling is that of a young couple early in their marriage
where faith, understanding, and unconditional love are still being learned. They do not have the
comfort of a home or even a tent yet because they need to learn how to be married to build their
home together. Their love may not be truly pragma or storge yet, but at least they are learning to
make fire together, and that is marriage: growing, changing, and building a life with someone
you chose to be with.