“The Portrait” by Stanley Kunitz: A Critical Analysis

My mother never forgave my father

for killing himself,

especially at such an awkward time

and in a public park,

that spring

when I was waiting to be born.

She locked his name

in her deepest cabinet

and would not let him out,

though I could hear him thumping.

When I came down from the attic

with the pastel portrait in my hand

of a long-lipped stranger

with a brave moustache

and deep brown level eyes,

she ripped it into shreds

without a single word

and slapped me hard.

In my sixty-fourth year

I can feel my cheek

still burning.

1. The Lingering Impact of Trauma

“The Portrait” explores how trauma, particularly from a parent’s suicide, leaves lasting emotional scars that persist across generations. The speaker recounts his father’s suicide, which occurred “that spring / when I was waiting to be born,” highlighting how the event shaped his life even before he was born. The mother’s inability to forgive the father and her violent reaction to the portrait—”she ripped it into shreds / without a single word / and slapped me hard”—demonstrate how unresolved grief and anger are passed down. The speaker’s reflection, “In my sixty-fourth year / I can feel my cheek / still burning,” underscores the enduring nature of this trauma, showing how childhood wounds continue to affect him decades later. Through these moments, “The Portrait” reveals the profound and lasting impact of familial trauma.

2. The Burden of Unresolved Grief

In “The Portrait,” the poem delves into the destructive power of unprocessed grief, particularly through the mother’s character. She “locked his name / in her deepest cabinet / and would not let him out,” symbolizing her refusal to confront or heal from the pain of her husband’s suicide. Her act of destroying the portrait and slapping the speaker reveals her inability to move past the trauma, instead channeling her pain into anger and repression. This theme is further emphasized by the speaker’s observation that he could still hear his father “thumping,” suggesting that the memory of the father and the grief surrounding his death remain alive and unresolved. “The Portrait” illustrates how unaddressed grief can fester and affect future generations.

3. The Search for Identity and Connection

“The Portrait” captures the speaker’s quest to understand his own identity and connect with the father he never knew. The discovery of the father’s portrait in the attic represents this search, as the portrait depicts “a long-lipped stranger / with a brave moustache / and deep brown level eyes,” highlighting the father’s enigmatic presence in the speaker’s life. By bringing the portrait to his mother, the speaker seeks to bridge the gap between past and present, but her violent rejection of the portrait—”she ripped it into shreds”—symbolizes the impossibility of fully understanding or reconciling with the past. This theme in “The Portrait” reflects the universal human desire to know one’s roots and the pain of being denied that connection.

4. The Cycle of Pain and Repression

“The Portrait” illustrates how pain and repression can become cyclical, passed from one generation to the next. The mother’s refusal to acknowledge the father’s memory—”she locked his name / in her deepest cabinet”—and her violent reaction to the portrait demonstrate her inability to process her grief. This repression is then transferred to the speaker, who experiences the physical and emotional pain of her slap: “she ripped it into shreds / without a single word / and slapped me hard.” The speaker’s lingering memory of the slap, “still burning” in his sixty-fourth year, shows how the cycle of pain continues, affecting him long after the event. Through this, “The Portrait” reveals how unresolved emotions can perpetuate suffering across generations.

5. The Power of Memory and the Past

Memory plays a central role in “The Portrait,” as the speaker reflects on how the past continues to shape the present. The father’s suicide, the mother’s grief, and the speaker’s discovery of the portrait are all moments frozen in time, yet their impact is felt decades later. The portrait itself serves as a tangible link to the past, but its destruction by the mother symbolizes the difficulty of reconciling with painful memories. The speaker’s reflection, “In my sixty-fourth year / I can feel my cheek / still burning,” underscores how the past remains alive in the present, shaping the speaker’s identity and emotions. This theme in “The Portrait” highlights the inescapable nature of memory and its power to influence our lives.

1. How does the poem explore the theme of intergenerational trauma?

“The Portrait” vividly portrays the transmission of trauma from one generation to the next. The father’s suicide, which occurred “that spring / when I was waiting to be born,” marks the beginning of the speaker’s lifelong struggle with his father’s absence and his mother’s unresolved grief. The mother’s repression of her emotions—”she locked his name / in her deepest cabinet”—and her violent reaction to the portrait—”she ripped it into shreds / without a single word / and slapped me hard”—demonstrate how her pain is transferred to the speaker. The speaker’s reflection, “In my sixty-fourth year / I can feel my cheek / still burning,” underscores the lasting impact of this trauma, showing how the wounds of the past continue to affect him decades later. Through these moments, the poem illustrates how trauma can echo across generations.

2. What role does the portrait play in the poem?

The portrait serves as a powerful symbol of the father’s memory and the speaker’s attempt to connect with him. When the speaker discovers the portrait in the attic, it depicts “a long-lipped stranger / with a brave moustache / and deep brown level eyes,” humanizing the father and making him more tangible. However, the mother’s destruction of the portrait—”she ripped it into shreds”—symbolizes her refusal to confront the past and her inability to move beyond her grief. For the speaker, the portrait represents a lost connection and a desire to understand his father, but its destruction highlights the impossibility of fully reconciling with the past. The portrait thus becomes a focal point for the poem’s exploration of memory, identity, and loss.

3. How does the mother’s character shape the poem’s emotional landscape?

The mother is central to the poem’s emotional depth, embodying unresolved grief and repressed anger. Her refusal to forgive the father—”My mother never forgave my father / for killing himself”—and her act of locking his name away—”she locked his name / in her deepest cabinet”—reveal her inability to process her pain. Her violent reaction to the portrait—”she ripped it into shreds / without a single word / and slapped me hard”—further underscores her emotional turmoil. The mother’s actions create a tense and painful atmosphere, shaping the speaker’s own experience of trauma and loss. Her character serves as a reminder of how unprocessed grief can manifest in destructive ways, affecting not only the individual but also those around them.

4. How does the poem use imagery to convey its themes?

“The Portrait” employs vivid imagery to evoke the poem’s themes of memory, trauma, and loss. The description of the father’s suicide “in a public park” creates a stark visual of the event’s public and humiliating nature. The “deepest cabinet” where the mother locks the father’s name symbolizes repressed emotions and buried memories. The portrait itself, with its depiction of “a long-lipped stranger / with a brave moustache / and deep brown level eyes,” provides a tangible connection to the father, while its destruction—”she ripped it into shreds”—visually represents the mother’s rejection of the past. Finally, the image of the speaker’s “cheek / still burning” in his sixty-fourth year powerfully conveys the lasting emotional and physical impact of childhood trauma. Through these images, the poem brings its themes to life, making them visceral and unforgettable.