18 pages • 36 minutes read
Elizabeth BishopThe Armadillo
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1957A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Hearts
The pulsing of the fire in the balloons is compared to beating “hearts” (Line 8). The flame “comes and goes” (Line 8), like heartbeats. These hearts represent the people who send off fire balloons as part of Festa Junina. This symbol is developed through the rhyme of Line 6 with Line 8—“these parts” rhymes with “like hearts.” This connects the location, or these parts, with the people who inhabit them and engage in rituals each year. The hearts of these people are lifted by celebrating the saint’s day. In this way, the symbol of hearts develops A Sense of Place. The color of hearts is also significant, as it is related to the fire—both are red. Reddish tones appear on the owls and the armadillo as well. The owls are “stained bright pink underneath” (Line 27) and the armadillo is “rose-flecked” (Line 32). This color motif connects human hearts with animal hearts; the latter of which suffers despite the joy of the former.
Celestial Bodies
The fire balloons are compared to various celestial bodies, including stars and planets. This resemblance between the human-made balloons and the heavenly bodies is initially positive, illustrating how the fire balloons are beautiful against the night sky:
Once up against the sky it's hard
to tell them from the stars—
planets, that is—the tinted ones:
Venus going down, or Mars,
or the pale green one (Lines 9-13).
The red fire in the balloons is compared to the red planet, Mars. Other colors in the balloons correspond with colors of planets, such as the green of Uranus and the yellow of Venus. These associations blur the line between objects constructed by humans and celestial objects.
Later, the poem ends by characterizing this resemblance as negative. It is “[t]oo pretty, dreamlike mimicry!” (Line 37). The beauty of the fire balloons—their ability to mimic the planets—causes people to forget about their negative impact on local flora and fauna.
Animals
The poem includes several animals, which are harmed by human-made fire balloons. The animals are the titular armadillo, “the pair // of owls” (Lines 24-25), and a “baby rabbit” (Line 33). The owls, which are described as “ancient” (Line 29) and caring for a nest, represent the past and a generational legacy. The rabbit is compared to “intangible ash” (Line 35). This ironically pairs its soft fur with what fire leaves behind in the wake of its destruction. In this comparison, the rabbit represents future destruction. These animals “cry / and panic” (Lines 38-39) in response to the fires caused by the balloons. The poem ends with the image of the “glistening armadillo” (Line 31) raising a clenched fist to the sky. The fist being mailed—or covered in mail, which was used in the armor of knights—is an example of personification, or making the armadillo seem more like a human. The armadillo’s feelings of helplessness and anger reflect the speaker’s feelings about the destruction of nature during the Festa Junina in Brazil.
Related Titles
By Elizabeth Bishop
