About Eunice De Souza and the poem ‘Marriages are Made’
Eunice De Souza was an Indian English-language poet, novelist, and columnist. She was also an English professor and a literary critic. Her works are famous for their colloquial style and mostly deal with societal issues.
‘ Marriages are Made ’ is a feministic poem that ironically narrates about the institution of marriage in India during her time using the example of the poet’s cousin, Elena.
Elena’s marriage has been fixed by her family, in which great event she has very little say. The poet articulates the details of this particular agreement, hinting at the unfairness faced by the bride in the process.
The poem ‘Marriages are Made’ by Eunice De Souza
My cousin Elena
is to be married
The formalities
have been completed:
her family history examined
for T.B. and madness
her father declared solvent
her eyes examined for squints
her teeth for cavities
her stools for the possible
non-Brahmin worm.
She’s not quite tall enough
and not quite full enough
(children will take care of that)
Her complexion it was decided
would compensate, being just about
the right shade
of rightness
to do justice to
Francisco X. Noronha Prabhu
good son of Mother Church.
Summary of the poem-‘Marriages are Made ’
The poet begins the poem by introducing her cousin Elena, who is to be married. The formalities that are required in India for such an event to be fixed have been successfully finished, which include examining the girl and her family to ensure that they meet the requirements.
Those requirements included checking whether her family has a history of certain diseases or madness, as it may be a bad influence on the family to which she is joined. Her father must be financially sound, as he has to pay a dowry and fund the ceremony.
Further, the physical aspects of the girl, like her eyes and teeth, were checked to ensure she is in proper health and condition. There must be no worms in her stools, and morally, she must be as disciplined as a person from the virtuous Brahmin caste.
Upon further examination, it was found that she was not as attractive as deemed by the bridegroom’s family. Her height nor her figure met their expectations, but they still agreed because, in spite of these limitations, she may still bear ideal children.
In any case, her skin color was good enough for them, as it was just about the right shade that symbolized the ideal wife for the bridegroom, Francisco X. Noronha Prabhu. He is declared as an ideal man without going through any of these tests – a good Christian devoted to his God.
Themes in the poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’
The central theme of the poem
The main theme of the poem ‘Marriages are Made ’ is the unfairness faced by women in an Indian marriage. The poet has made an attempt to highlight the subjugation of a bride with an example of a girl from her own family, Elena.
It is obvious that Elena had no choice regarding her own nuptial ceremony, and was forced to abide by the decision of her elders. All through the poem, she is treated as an object and not as a human.
She is coerced to go through various assessments (many of which probably demeaned her self-esteem) which she had no option but to refuse. For instance, her body was repeatedly scrutinized for flaws, as justified by the lines her eyes examined for squints and her teeth for cavities.
She is expected to exist according to society’s ideals and fulfill the requirements of the bridegroom. Does she comply with this as well? The question was never raised.
Other themes
Gender inequality, caste and religion, and societal stereotypes are the themes in the poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’.
Gender inequality
The first theme in the poem ‘Marriages are Made’ is ‘ Gender inequality in India ’. Throughout the poem, the girl is treated as a commodity that is examined and given away to a stranger. Her family is checked for diseases, not the boy’s family. This is a fair example of the plight of parents who have girl children in India.
Caste and Religion
The next theme in the poem is ‘ Caste system and religious ethos in India’. Elena is desired to be a Brahmin in character, which hints that people’s personalities were classified according to the various castes. The boy is judged as ideal just because he is religious. Is this enough to say he’d definitely make a good husband?
Societal Stereotypes
The last theme in the poem is ‘ Societal stereotypes in India ’. The bride is defined as ideal only when she is in accordance with certain norms, such as a sound financial background, good height and physical appeal, and a particular skin color. Society expects every young girl to be prepared this way if she is to be married.
Line-by-line interpretation of the poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’
My cousin Elena
is to be married
The opening lines of the poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’ directly introduce the main topic to the reader – the marriage of the protagonist Elena. ´My´ refers to the poet Eunice De Souza herself, and Elena is her cousin. Elena’s family has decided on her marriage.
The formalities
have been completed:
Formalities refer to the cultural procedures that are generally undertaken in India before fixing a marriage. These have been already successfully completed and Elena is ready to be married.
her family history examined
for T.B. and madness
From the fifth line of the poem onwards, the poet begins to list out the so-called ‘ Formalities ’ that took place prior to the arrangement of the event. Firstly, the bridegroom’s family studied the girl’s background to make sure she had a good foundation.
Her family’s history was checked to ensure it had no history of diseases like tuberculosis or madness, as there is a chance of her bringing any such troubles into her new home or the children she may bear.
her father declared solvent
her eyes examined for squints
Next, her father’s financial condition was examined in order to establish that he was not bankrupt and had no debts, as he needs sufficient money to pay for his daughter’s marriage function as well as the bridegroom’s dowry.
Next, the physical conditions of the girl were studied. She must not be squint-eyed, as it would not look respectable in society or to her future husband.
her teeth for cavities
her stools for the possible
non-Brahmin worm.
Similarly, her teeth were checked to ensure they had no cavities, as it is a sign of bad health and a blight on her facial beauty.
Even her stools were examined to prove a sound medical condition, and they desire her to be as virtuous as a member of the Brahmin caste. In India, Brahmins are considered to be the epitome of moral perfection and social values.
In the poem, ´non-Brahmin worm´ refers to any quality that would classify her as a non-Brahmin i.e uncultured. Such undesired outcomes are always possible in a young girl, and they ensured their prospective bride had none of it.
She’s not quite tall enough
and not quite full enough
(children will take care of that)
But even after all these tests, the girl was not concluded as perfect; she still had some limitations. She was not as tall or physically appealing as they desired; but still, they agreed as, despite that problem, she is fecund and would bear good children.
Her complexion it was decided
would compensate, being just about
the right shade
of rightness
In the end, the girl was accepted by the bridegroom’s side as her skin complexion would compensate for her few shortcomings. It was found to be about the right color that symbolized rightness – ethicality as opined by society.
to do justice to
Francisco X. Noronha Prabhu
good son of Mother Church.
The concluding lines of the poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’ finally reveal the bridegroom’s identity – Francisco X. Noronha Prabhu- the person for whose satisfaction these assessments were conducted in the first place.
With Elena’s final test of her skin color, she was decided enough to be an ideal wife for him in all aspects of life. In other words, he and his family were satisfied with her qualities.
In the last line of the poem, the ´good son of Mother Church´ creates an impact of the idea that, unlike Elena, Fransisco does not have to be scrutinized as he is innately perfect, being a faithful Christian loyal to the Church.
Elena was ultimately treated as a commodity that was examined for flaws and then officially given to him. She had no choice in this decision.
Analysis of the poem ‘Marriages are Made’
The poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’ by Eunice De Souza consists of twenty lines written in free verse with no stanzas. The poem is in fact just five unequal broken-down sentences (enjambment) explaining the situation during Elena’s marriage. There is no specific meter or rhyme scheme, and the speaker is the poet herself.
The poem has a cynical and ironic tone. It is written in the first person narrative, as the first line starts with ´my´. The poet uses very simple and conversational language, and ironically describes how her own relative was examined and given away like a commodity.
The poem first introduces the event in question, then lists out the procedures that had been carried out in the background. Every assessment conducted on the girl or her family is promptly mentioned as if it were regular, which cynically mocks society’s subjugation of women.
The poem is titled ‘ Marriages are Made ’ because the poem justifies that in India, the betrothal of a girl and a boy is made by their respective families and they have almost no say in the matter.
We can observe that in Elena’s case, the whole procedure was conducted like a business deal. This proves that the famous saying ‘ Marriages are made in heaven ’ is only a myth.
The poet uses phrases like history examined, squints, cavities, and stools to convey the idea that society carries out marital procedures like medical tests, which are generally either embarrassing or painful. But isn’t it for their own good? The same excuse is given to the girl.
In the eleventh line of the poem, Elena is examined for ´non-brahmin worms.´ Though both families are evidently Christian, they still like the girl to have Brahmin qualities. This is a hint that in India, Brahmins are held in high regard and are considered the best example of virtuousness.
In the thirteenth line of the poem, the girl is checked whether she is full enough. This could have two interpretations – either sexual appeal or the simple aspect of being full or filled to the brim with the expected qualities. But since it is preceded by the line talking about her physical quality – height, we assume it is probably the former.
The nineteenth line of the poem explains that Elena was expected to give justice to her to-be husband. This is once again an irony, as the previous lines actually talk about the ´injustice´ that she faced in the marriage. Is the boy the only one who deserves justice, and not her as well?
We can observe that the poem talks about the girl throughout, and makes only a small mention of the boy in the last lines. This is a clear hint that a boy in India is considered naturally perfect so long as he is loyal to his religious path, but many more things are expected of the girl if she is to be accepted by people. This justifies the theme of gender discrimination.
We can observe that though the poem does a good job of talking about the harsh reality, it is highly limited to the Indian context. Though female subjugation is prevalent throughout the world, the examples given in the poem take place only in Indian culture. For instance, ´non-brahmin worm´. The procedure, though representative of a broader term of the marriage, is in the end, only an Indian procedure.
Poetic Devices
The literary devices used in the poem ‘ Marriages are Made ’ are Enjambment, alliteration, and metaphor.
Enjambment :
The lines in the poem are in fact just five sentences that are broken down. They are :
1) My cousin Elena is to be married.
2) The formalities have been completed:
3) her family history examined
for T.B. and madness
her father declared solvent
her eyes examined for squints
her teeth for cavities
her stools for the possible
non-Brahmin worm.
4) She’s not quite tall enough
and not quite full enough
(children will take care of that)
Her complexion it was decided
would compensate, being just about
the right shade
of rightness
to do justice to
Francisco X. Noronha Prabhu
good son of Mother Church.
Alliteration :
She’s not quite tall enough
and not quite full enough
In these lines, the words not, quite, and enough are repeated, and so does the consonant l in tall and full.
Metaphor :
non-Brahmin worm. – Here, any non-Brahmin qualities ( negative qualities) of Elena are termed as a worm in her stools.
