"The Freaks" by Kamaladas, short analysis

"The Freaks"  by Kamaladas 

Title : "The freaking distracted love "

The theme of patriarchal dominance in the poem 'The Freaks'

This is one of the famous poem written by Indian poet Kamala Das. In this poem the poet has tried to explain how the insecure and sluggish love brings uneasyness in one's life , especially in women's life. 

In the poem, Kamala Das describes how in a male-dominated  society, a woman should submit to her husband though he may be ugly, older, lustful and problematic. She is supposed to satisfy him in all the ways without thinking about herself, her sexual needs and desires. 

The poem begins with the description of a man as : ' sun-stained Cheek ,  a dark Cavern mouth ,and stalactites of Uneven teeth gleam.With this facial images we can understand that the man in the poem is an old man. 

In Freaks, poet depicts the disappointment, senselessness and the torment of a woman who longs for true love but it is denied by her husband who is insensible to her psychological desires. 

The lines of the poem - 

"his right hand on my knee, while our minds are willed to race towards love";  suggests that she is revolted by cruelty of her companion. She feels trapped by her male ego. Therefore she refused to play the traditional role as a wife.

Kamala Das has a more interesting dimension that she is not only a feminist who revolts against male domination but also reveals the frustration level of a woman in these situations. The lady in the poem sighs and tells that -

 "The heart,

An empty cistern, waiting

Through long hours, fills itself

With coiling snakes of silence"

Therefore her relationship nothing but the frustrating experience because though they have shared their life together as life-partners for so long, they have not been able establish their mutual understanding with love and regard for each other`s needs. Though they are living together they feel each other like a stranger. In such situation, there is no positive and optimistic approach about the life and love. Empty hearts shows barren emotional status,  and the utter meaninglessness of life.

In this poem the poet has given more importance to  feelings of a suffering woman in the patriarchal world. In the poem we can see that, there is no love between the couple. Her husband, who is an old man (as depicted in the poem) is attracted towards her outward appearance but is unable to enjoy her inner beauty or soul. Through this poem the poet has tried to convey that how the lovelessness, distracted and meaningless relation will harm the peaceful life of a person, especially , the life of a woman .