The poem vividly contrasts the embrace of natural autonomy with the imposition of control upon living beings. This contrast underscores the tension between nature's self-determination and man’s authority over it, offering a powerful reflection on the reader's connection to both the natural world and their fellow individuals.

The contrast between the tree’s potential to grow "eighty feet tall" in its natural setting on a mountain and the reality that it is kept "nine inches high" due to careful pruning highlights this theme. The gardener's actions represent control, trimming the tree to fit a predetermined mold and denying it the opportunity to reach its natural potential. The gardener's words reinforce the idea that the tree is controlled, molded into a desired—albeit artificial and stunted—form:

 It is your nature
to be small and cozy,
domestic and weak 

The poem then describes the bonsai tree's cramped life in a pot, highlighting its lack of autonomy. This artificial constraint is enforced by the human hand, illustrating the control exerted by someone else. Although the pot is "attractive," its very existence represents the limitations placed on the tree, its inability to grow freely, and its lack of autonomy.

Just as the bonsai tree's natural growth is stifled and controlled, women's autonomy is limited by societal norms and externally imposed expectations about womanhood. Just as the gardener recognizes that "one must begin very early" when stunting the growth of trees, the poet highlights that girls are taught at a young age “to be small and cozy” and “domestic and weak."

In this way, the poem highlights the consequences of such control—whether on nature or individuals—emphasizing the need to recognize and respect both nature and women's inherent autonomy.

The theme of gender and oppression in "A Work of Artifice" subtly but powerfully resonates throughout the poem. Piercy employs evocative imagery and metaphors to illuminate these themes. Notably, the reference to "the bound feet" harkens back to the oppressive practice of foot binding, predominantly seen in China. Foot binding was a practice in which women's feet were deliberately deformed to conform to traditional beauty standards, keeping them small and delicate while causing immense pain and limited motion. This vivid metaphor illustrates that women, like the bonsai, face control, physical alteration, and imposed limitations in the form of gender-based oppression. 

Furthermore, the mention of "the hair in curlers" indicates the continued timeliness of this comparison. This gestures to more recent societal beauty norms and constraints placed on women's appearance to further emphasize the pervasive impact of societal pressures on their bodies and identities. These examples contribute significantly to the poem’s overarching message, highlighting how social pressures act as oppressive forces, specifically on women, constraining their autonomy and individuality.

Just as the tree is shaped into something small and dainty, women have historically been molded by gender expectations, confined to predetermined roles and appearances that limit their abilities and potential. The poem pointedly questions whether, as the gardener says, "It is your nature / to be small and cozy, / domestic and weak" or whether it is an unnatural aspect forced upon them.

This poem emphasizes how the bonsai tree's identity is artificially shaped by external forces, notably the gardener who prunes and controls its growth.

But a gardener
carefully pruned it.
It is nine inches high.
Every day as he
whittles back the branches
the gardener croons…

The gardener tells the stunted tree that it is lucky, "to have a pot to grow in." In doing so, the poem indicates that the tree's identity is defined by external expectations and desires. No one asks the tree if it would prefer to grow wild and tall. Instead, like the women this poem symbolically represents, the delicate and weakened tree is expected to be grateful for its domestication.

This theme serves as a commentary on the consequences of molding individuals into artificial, predetermined roles. The bonsai tree, while aesthetically pleasing, is ultimately a façade, lacking the authenticity and strength of a tree allowed to grow naturally. The poem supports the idea that one's natural identity is more authentically beautiful than any external expectation.