Woman in Kitchen: Key Quotes

Overview and Themes

“Woman in Kitchen” is Boland’s poignant humanisation of a typical domestic setting.
The overarching themes are the celebration of the mundane, the role of women in society, and the unsung heroism found in everyday life.

The phrase “The woman stirs the soup and the stars blink…” portrays the often unacknowledged significance of domestic chores and glimpses at the cosmos within them. The stirring action implies the continuous and sometimes repetitive nature of women’s work.
Boland utilises simple but powerful wording to emphasise the grandeur of daily life: “…a small white pantheon of time.”. This phrase underscores the importance of minor everyday moments building into something timeless and monumental.

The metaphor “The window casts its mind on her” personifies the window and infuses a certain kind of intimacy to the setting, suggesting uninterrupted concentration and attention.
Kitchen utensils are compared to cosmic entities: “The spoon is a dull star. The pan lid is the moon…”. This embellishes the mundane with celestial significance, underscoring Boland’s intent to elevate the ordinary.

Boland stresses the overlooked: “The clock ticks in great alarm…”. Appreciating the ticking of a clock indicates a consciousness of time’s passage - possibly a reflection on the fleeting nature of ordinary moments.
The phrase “The chopping-board is a map…” assigns a sense of history and story to an inanimate object, further enhancing the value of ordinary objects and their roles in the fabric of daily life.

The closing line “she sets the kettle singing…” presents a lively and musical ending to the poem which brings a sense of gratification in the simplicity of household tasks.
The suggestion of the kettle ‘singing’ gives personification to the kitchen appliances and represents a joy within the routine perhaps misunderstood or overlooked by those who do not engage with such tasks.