“Box Room: Theme; Romantic Relationships”

Context

Written by Scottish poet Liz Lochhead, “Box Room” illustrates the claustrophobic unease felt by a woman visiting her partner’s family home for the first time.
The room she has to stay in during the visit, the box room, is symbolic of her feelings and the state of her relationship.

One of the central themes in “Box Room” is romantic relationships. The poem is a reflection of a woman’s realisation about her partner.
The poem dramatises the power dynamics in the romantic relationship, questioning who holds the upper hand, and how that can potentially affect the relationship.

There are two key characters in this poem: the speaker and her partner. The speaker’s thoughts form the crux of the narrative.
The speaker enters her partner’s boyhood room, reflecting on the relationships her partner has had before her, creating a feeling of uncertainty about the future of their relationship.

“Box Room” portrays the feeling of uneasiness, doubt, and inferiority in a romantic relationship.
The speaker’s contemplation upon seeing former girlfriend’s photographs, letters, and the room filled with memoirs symbolises her fear of being just another addition to her partner’s past relationships.
The ‘single bed’ can interpret as their inability to share a more intimate space, reflecting possible cracks and a lack of deep commitment in their relationship.
As the title suggests, the depiction of the room as a confined box itself is representative of the claustrophobic feeling the speaker experiences in this relationship.

Often in the poem, the speaker’s partner comes across as dominant, with the speaker viewing herself as inferior because of the past girlfriend’s physical attributes she feels she lacks.
Even though the partner reassures her of the irrelevance of his past relationship, she continues to feel threatened, indicating that their relationship is filled with doubt, power imbalances, and a lack of trust.
Thus, “Box Room” effectively portrays the complexities and insecurities inherent in romantic relationships, offering a realistic perspective on love and its challenges.