La Figlia Che Pinange

“La Figlia Che Piange” is a poem by Thomas Stearns Eliot, which was printed in Prufock and Other Observations in 1917. In this poem, Eliot describes a very familiar incident to the readers: A breakup, which is not something mutual in the poem. It is unexpected for the female. However, Eliot does not focus on the female and her suffering. In contrast, he, I think, wants to display how the man, who wishes to break up, suffers and how he is paralyzed by the breakup. Of course, one may interpret the speaker as female, but in this paper, I will examine the poem by assuming the speaker as a male and I will also focus on how the structure and the use of some tropes enhance the theme of the poem. The poem consists of three big stanzas, which create a songlike poem although they do
His coming is not a pleasant surprise because, from the next stanza, we understand that he comes to offer to end their relationship. The second stanza starts with anaphora “So I would have…” and the repetition of “would” modal creates a sense of obligation. Also in these lines, the perspective is always changing which leads to a confusion:
“So I would have had him leave
So I would have had her stand and grieve
So he would have left…” (Lines 8-10)
For lines 8 and 9, it can be said that it is written by the perspective of the female who considers herself as guilty because of his leaving. In other words, she thinks herself as the reason of this breakup. What an unpleasant thought that men lead us to think! On the other hand, our real speaker constantly seeks a way to console her because all he thinks is how he upsets the girl. Line 13 “I should find”, for example, is deliberately cut short in order to create a suspense. What is the thing you should find? The next lines give the answer:
“Some way incomparably light and deft
Some way we both should understand
Simple and faithless as a smile and shake of the hand.” (Lines