Student Question
In "Diary of a Piano-Tuner's Wife," what does the poem suggest about idealism and truth in an individual's life?
Quick answer:
The poem "Diary of a Piano Tuner's Wife" suggests that idealism and truth in an individual's life involve seeking personal freedom and authenticity beyond imposed expectations. The speaker desires a life defined by her own truths, not her husband's rigid standards, symbolized by his "garden." By metaphorically dismantling this garden, she uncovers her own ideals and beauty, emphasizing the importance of individual expression and liberation from restrictive roles and expectations.
In Wilmer Mills's poem "Diary of a Piano Tuner's Wife," the speaker uses metaphors to convey her desire to live a life that is not defined by her husband's expectations or standards. She seeks a truth that is hers alone, much as their daughter has already done. Their daughter, who hasn't called or visited in so long that the speaker is certain she wouldn't recognize her, left because she needed to let her father's "garden die." While gardens typically symbolize hope and happiness, there is a darker connotation to the metaphor in this poem. It instead represents the father's expectations, rules for order, and defined boundaries.
The wife's ideals are not reflected this garden. If she can't allow it to die, she longs to at least "encourage it to grow beyond itself." The wife longs for freedom and the possibility of a life which has not yet existed. She longs...
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to be liberated, much as the slaves found freedom in Exodus, and takes those first steps by digging up the "bed-row stones" and making a pile of them.
Underneath those stones, the speaker finds unexpected beauty which would remain hidden without her efforts. This realization makes her labors almost "effortless." She alludes to the Biblical story of Moses parting the Red Sea ("The waters of my world were parted then") as she considers that living her own life to align to her husband's expectations is a "waste."
The wife has found her own "phantom limb" that demands to be recognized. This need to recognize the beauty of her own life, separate from the structure and expectations of her husband, conveys the significance of individual freedom and expression. She refuses to live the rest of her life submitting to the ideals of her husband and instead asserts that from this point forward, he will know that she doesn't need to be "tuned" or "fixed." She has dug up the foundation of their lives together, exposing her own ideals and finding great beauty in the possibilities which emerge from those efforts.