17 pages • 34 minutes read
Sharon OldsRite of Passage
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1984A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
War
War is an overriding motif throughout the poem, illustrated both in the aggression of the boys’ behavior and the scene in which it is described. There are mentions of war terminology like turrets, boats, battle, and generals, as well as the direct mention of war in the very last line of the poem. The stance that the boys take in the beginning, jostling and skirmishing in small fights, reflects their war-like behavior and represents the overall antagonism and violence already present in the young boys’ lives.
The speaker also compares the boys to both generals, who symbolize aggression and the front lines of war, and bankers, who represent those financing battles. The detail of the boys clearing their throats—which appears twice in the poem, both times when the boys are compared to bankers and generals—is intended both as a humorous action that belies their young age and a slightly sinister one, considering the violent things the boys say and do. Instead of imaginative play, the boys engage in both threats and comparisons, a more childlike version of what often happens as nations prepare and plan for war.
Life and Death
The poem ends by juxtaposing the war-like and even murderous behavior of the young boys with the birthday celebration that is meant to honor the speaker’s son’s life. These two opposite forces of life and death create a push and pull that resonates throughout the entire poem, beginning with the first mention of aggression and battle as “small fights [break] out and [calm]” (Lines 6-7) and culminating with the son’s chilling statement, “We could easily kill a two-year-old” (Line 22), a direct reference to death.
The narrative juxtaposes themes of destruction and death with more creative, domestic, and life-affirming elements, such as baking a chocolate birthday cake and describing the speaker’s son at birth. The scene at the party and its dynamics serve as a microcosm of broader society, where tendencies toward aggression and violence are often manifested in wars and battles, resulting in death and destruction. These events sharply contrast with the nurturing and maternal perception the mother has of her son, which clashes with both his behavior at the party and that of the other boys.
Childhood and Adulthood
By beginning the poem describing the children as a party of men, the speaker sets up the expectation that their behavior will continue to be described in terms of adults, even while the children are described as being in the first grade. Sharon Olds introduces the children as “short men” (Line 3) and “small bankers” (Line 11). The speaker’s description of their youthfulness, conveyed through images like “smooth jaws and chins” (Line 4) and the description of her son’s freckles, forms a contrast with the idea of them as adult men and represents how young they still are despite their mimicking of adult behavior. While child aggression and in-fighting among boys is not uncommon and often permitted by adults on playgrounds and at birthday parties, those same tendencies manifest much more seriously if they are carried into adulthood. And yet, these same comparisons, aggression, and capacity for violence are often tolerated and condoned by society when engaged in war. Olds poses a comparison and an implicit question about the roots and causes of war on a global scale. The comparisons that Olds draws both make the boys appear older than they are and make the same behaviors in adult men appear childish.
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By Sharon Olds
