Poetry Timed Response- A Helpmeet for Him, Rossetti

Freya Richardson-Fay
How does Rosse present the purpose of women in society?

Immediately upon analysing the tle of Rosse ’s ‘A Helpmeet for Him’, one is introduced to
the religiously patriarchal themes that ow throughout this three-stanza poem. The tle
phrase is li ed from the Bible book of Genesis, thus solidifying the poems place within a
staunchly Chris an context, mirroring Rosse ’s conserva ve, Anglican beliefs. The use of
the crucial preposi on “for” paired with the signi cantly ambiguous third-person singular
pronoun “Him” and lack of any feminine signi ers, allows for the interpreta on that a
woman’s place in society is to serve the en rety of mankind, crea ng an inherently
patriarchal, yet symbio c rela onship. This form of symbiosis further makes use of religious
allusion, as within the story of Crea on, the rst woman, Eve, was created from the rib of
Adam, to act as his companion. And so, Rosse ’s religious beliefs about the role of women
in society manifest into a, albeit modern, interpreta on that a woman’s purpose must be
servitude to men.





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