Analysis of Is/Not and Mother to Son
In Margaret Atwood’s Is/Not, she demonstrates the theme that love is not a simple notion
that can be compared to other concrete subjects in life as it manifests itself through the
unpredictability and intensity of emotion. The title of this poem is straightforward to the general
idea and is indicative of the topic that is being communicated to the reader. By reading is/not,
one can infer the content of the poem will be relative to the concept of proving what a topic
either is, or is not; in this instance being love. At a first glance this poem may look like an
individual expressing the ways in which they want to communicate present feelings with their
partner, but once digging in deeper it is clear that the overarching message corresponds to the
complexity of the nature of love. Near the beginning of the poem, the speaker states “Sex is not
dentistry / the slick filling of aches and cavities” Atwood lines 3-4. This line includes an allusion
to indicate sex cannot be used to fix things as dentistry would, because love is not that simple
and there is no quick fix to the issues presented as there would be when presenting a medical
issue to a specialist. They then go on to say “You are not my doctor / you are not my cure, //
Nobody has that / power, you are merely a fellow/traveller” Atwood lines 5-8 which includes a
powerful metaphor proving this person cannot be utilized as a cure, but rather an individual with
access to them able to explore their body and mind. This reiterates the theme as it shows what is
needed is not an immediate solution as there often is in other situations, but rather the
opportunity to sit with and indulge in the emotions presented because this person cannot be the
speaker’s quick fix. The lines “Give up this medical concern, / buttoned, attentive // permit
2
yourself anger / and permit me mine” Atwood lines 9-12 support this as it shows the speaker
encouraging their partner to allow them to feel their present feelings of anger instead of trying to
In Margaret Atwood’s Is/Not, she demonstrates the theme that love is not a simple notion
that can be compared to other concrete subjects in life as it manifests itself through the
unpredictability and intensity of emotion. The title of this poem is straightforward to the general
idea and is indicative of the topic that is being communicated to the reader. By reading is/not,
one can infer the content of the poem will be relative to the concept of proving what a topic
either is, or is not; in this instance being love. At a first glance this poem may look like an
individual expressing the ways in which they want to communicate present feelings with their
partner, but once digging in deeper it is clear that the overarching message corresponds to the
complexity of the nature of love. Near the beginning of the poem, the speaker states “Sex is not
dentistry / the slick filling of aches and cavities” Atwood lines 3-4. This line includes an allusion
to indicate sex cannot be used to fix things as dentistry would, because love is not that simple
and there is no quick fix to the issues presented as there would be when presenting a medical
issue to a specialist. They then go on to say “You are not my doctor / you are not my cure, //
Nobody has that / power, you are merely a fellow/traveller” Atwood lines 5-8 which includes a
powerful metaphor proving this person cannot be utilized as a cure, but rather an individual with
access to them able to explore their body and mind. This reiterates the theme as it shows what is
needed is not an immediate solution as there often is in other situations, but rather the
opportunity to sit with and indulge in the emotions presented because this person cannot be the
speaker’s quick fix. The lines “Give up this medical concern, / buttoned, attentive // permit
2
yourself anger / and permit me mine” Atwood lines 9-12 support this as it shows the speaker
encouraging their partner to allow them to feel their present feelings of anger instead of trying to
