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The speaker's bitterness towards their father and their mother's role in fostering this resentment is evident throughout. The poem's unflinching depiction of the father's decline and the speaker's indifference to his suffering is a striking contrast to the more traditional portrayal of familial love and loyalty.
Aug 9, 2024 · Sharon Olds’ “The Victims” is a powerful exploration of family, divorce, and the process of understanding our past. Through its shifting perspectives and vivid imagery, the poem invites us to consider how our views of family events can change over time, and how empathy can help us navigate complex relationships.
A poem about the speaker's father, who was divorced and fired, and the bums in doorways, who lost everything. The speaker wonders who took it and took it from them in silence until they had nothing left.
In the wake of the confessional poets, Sharon Olds largely wrote about provocative, taboo topics such as the body, domesticity, sex, childhood trauma, and more. Published in 1984, “The Victims” is no exception.
The poem explores the themes of hate, silence, and fire in the context of a divorce and a job loss. It contrasts the speaker's past joy at her parents' suffering with her present empathy for the homeless people on the streets.
The Victims. When Mother divorced you, we were glad. She took it and took it in silence, all those years and then kicked you out, suddenly, and her kids loved it. Then you were fired, and we grinned inside, the way people grinned when Nixon's helicopter lifted off the South Lawn for the last time.
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18 pages • 36 minutes read. Sharon Olds. The Victims. Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1984. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Download PDF. Access Full Guide. Summary. Background. Poem Analysis.
