The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave Me: Plot

The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave Me: Plot

Overview and Setting of the Poem

  • “The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave Me” by Eavan Boland is a narrative poem set in Paris, France, during a heatwave in 1892.
  • The poem tells the tale of a love story between an unnamed couple, which is gradually revealed through the lens of the lace fan.

Introduction to the Fan

  • The poem opens with the speaker imagining how her mother would have used the black Lace Fan during the heatwave, projecting onto it a sense of elegance and seductiveness.
  • The fan, a memento from the past, becomes the symbolic link between the person who originally owned it (her mother) and the speaker herself.

The Dowry

  • The Lace Fan is referred to as a ‘dowry’ – traditionally, a gift given to a bride from her parents on her wedding day.
  • Here the fan’s role as a dowry adds an extra layer, symbolising the passing on of cultural heritage and motherly wisdom.

Imagery of Heat and Tension

  • The heatwave in Paris serves as the backdrop for the unfolding of the romantic tale and mirrors the lovers’ inner turmoils and their passionate relationship.
  • The lines “Air scarcely moved, until the tulip on its tether moored in the garden, deflated through the heat” beautifully illustrate the stifling atmosphere, conveying the escalating tension.

The Argument

  • An argument ensues between the lovers, and the fan is used, transformed into “a yellowed whip: her prize, her prop, her discipline.”
  • This act turns the fan into something aggressive and controlling, expressing the passion and frustration of the moment.

The Epilogue

  • The relationship, much like the heatwave, eventually cools off and the fan returns to its innocuous state.
  • The transition is marked by the symbols of a cooling breeze and a fading star.

Connection to Modern Times and Personal Insight

  • The poem concludes with the speaker looking at the fan in its present state – an old, painted artifact – resulting in an inward reflection and a deeper understanding of her mother’s life.
  • The fan has lost its practical use, but sustains its emotional and historical significance, providing a link between two shared, yet distinct female experiences.

Overall Theme and Symbolism

  • Boland effectively employs the fan as a symbol to explore themes of love, memory, female identity, and the dynamic between past, present, and future.
  • It exposes the rawness and intensity of human emotions, clad in the everyday object of a black lace fan.