“A happily ever after” is not always the case when looking at the marriage arrangements of two individuals. In the poem Conjoined by Judith Minty, the author describes an unhappy marriage as being nothing but sad and bitter. The two married individuals both feel as though they are not their own person. They have molded each other into what the other desire out of the other, which has led to nothing but heartache. Throughout the poem, the author uses literary devices such as metaphors, diction, and similes to portray the anguish a couple feels from a lifeless and broken marriage.
The poem implies that the individuals involved in the married couple both feel as though they are not their owe person. They have molded each other into what the other person desires from the other. This is demonstrated through the metaphorical use of the onion; the indication that “two joined under one transparent skin” (line 2). The couple is trying to explain that when two people are joined together in marriage, the two souls become one. The couple has tried to transform each other in the path of the marriage; “each half-round, then flat and deformed” (line 3). When the two become one, the two individual sides of the onion become distorted and pitiful looking; the onion no longer looks edible and delicious, but rather a reject. During this type of dysfunctional marriage the two people want to be free from one another and take control of their own life. The two individuals feel discontent because they are “trapped” in a hopeless and unhappy relationship. Also, in line four, it indicates that the onion is “pressed [together] and grew against the other.” The two married people constantly bump heads and disagree with one another, but they still must conform and stay side by side, often times leading to irregularity of the onion.
The author also uses diction to portray her views on marriage through the couple in her poem. The other uses the word choice of “monster” to expose the problem that is marriage. Within the first stanza, the author brings forth the married couple and their outlook towards their marriage, “the onion in my cupboard, a monster, actually” (line 1). This statement suggests that there is a significant problem in the marriage. The use of the word “monster” implies that the marriage is disastrous, and is therefore undesired by the two involved. It exaggerates the intensity of the problem of marriage as a whole. The use of the word “deformed” in line three indicates that the onion is no longer sweet and tasty looking, but rather, too misshapen and malformed for consumption. The use of the word “deformed” may also explain that something about the marriage is out of place and not put together quite nicely. In essence, the diction of this poem makes it seem like the two bodies, joined together as a whole, are worn out and tired. Moreover, in line 11, the couple describes their daily experience with one another stating “together as we move, heavy in this house.” The use of the word “heavy” was perhaps used to explain the intensity and tenseness of their marriage. It demonstrates that it’s hard to move around at all with the other person weighing the other down on a day to day basis. Additionally, the author describes the couple’s marriage with the use of the word “freaks” in line seven. This reference shows that the two people believed that the marriage was not typical, and perhaps strange. It didn’t feel right to be in that type of relationship. It is clear to see throughout the poem that the couple doesn’t feel normal and desperately wants to find a way out.
Furthermore, the author’s use of the literary device simile is used throughout the poem to compare the marriage situation to other bizarre and dislikable things. For example, Judith Minty describes the marriage in the poem “like the two-headed calf rooted in one body, fighting to suck at its mother’s teats” (lines 5-6). With this statement, the reader can envision a two headed cow, with obvious recognition of it being a freak of nature. Just like the marriage situation, the two heads are separate cows, trapped in one body. These two, yet one, cows are forced to life their life this way, fighting and battling constantly for just a drop of their mother’s milk. Within a marriage, the two people are constantly struggling to get along with one another and adapt to each other’s nature and behaviorisms.
In conclusion, it is easy to see that the author of Conjoined, Judith Minty, dislikes the concept of marriage and believes that people would do so much better without. However, the whole purpose of marriage is the willingness to sacrifice to be with the one you love. It is true that finding oneself is hard in a marriage, however it is not impossible. Couples feel as though their significant other is trying to clutch them back from their goals and dreams in life, which is not always the case. It has been proven that marriage can be a beautiful thing; however this is not the case in the poem Conjoined.
