Interpretive Response Essay

Question: How does Bruce Dawe explore the feelings of a suburban mother in his poem “Up the Wall”?

"Up the Wall" by Bruce Dawe explores the loneliness of a suburban housewife. He comments on the isolation and frustrations of women who are trapped in their homes because they are raising children. Her life is a boring and noisy routine. Others, especially men, don't understand and are insensitive to the situation. Nothing is done to help the housewife. The poet focuses on the housewife's point of view. An image of the housewife's life is created through the sound words that are used to describe the boredom and frustration. The final couplet shows that no-one has any idea what her day is like.

The sonnet begins with a series of images that suggest the housewife's frustration with her life. She cannot escape since the routines of looking after the house and children are continuous, "No weekend comes to mark of any week". Her world is limited to screaming children and the artificial conversation of the radio. The last two lines, when the husband tells his friends, "It's a quiet neighbourhood" reveal that no-one understands her life.

Vivid images are also used to describe the housewife's feelings. "children carve / The mind up with the scalpels of their din." is effective because it suggests that the children's noise is like a sharp instrument cutting into her sanity. Another effective image is the description of the husband talking to his friends. " 'Too quiet almost.' They laugh. The matter ends." contrasts with the noise conveyed in the earlier images in the poem. Their laughter seems uncaring and intensifies the housewife's isolation.

"Up the wall" is an expression often used to express people's frustration and is used as a title because it sums up the ideas in the poem. A sonnet usually explains feelings about a serious topic and has a final couplet where the speaker reaches a conclusion. The main voice in this poem isn't allowed to speak in the last two lines and this emphasises that nothing is done to help the housewife. In "Up the Wall", Bruce Dawe explores the feelings of the suburban housewife drawing attention to the isolation and frustration she experiences..