Moreover, the Moon (Themes)

Themes

Patriarchy and the Oppression of Women

Loy uses lunar imagery in "Moreover, the Moon" as an extended metaphor about patriarchy's presence in women's lives. She establishes the metaphor by addressing the moon as the "Face in the skies," calling attention to the man in the moon rather than to the moon as a female presence. In the first two stanzas, she speaks for all women when she requests that the man in the moon "preside / over our wonder" and "draw us under." Later in the poem, she talks about the moon's "decease" and its "inverse dawn." In both instances, the fading of the moon's light symbolizes patriarchy's demise as a social institution. Interestingly, when the moon sets, it never truly disappears from the universe. Further, its light is temporarily replaced with that of the sun, another predominantly masculine symbol. Loy's mention of the moon's "decease" and an "inverse dawn" exposes her belief that although patriarchy, as represented by the light of the moon, may wane, it will reappear, just as the moon will become full or rise again. By evoking the image of the sun's brighter light replacing that of the moon, Loy further suggests that the face of patriarchy may change and potentially its influence will become greater.

Consciousness

Loy initially invokes the theme of consciousness in the second stanza when she asks the "truant of heaven" to "draw us under." In addition to bringing to mind the moon's role in changing the ocean tides and their power to sweep one out to sea, this stanza makes one think of sleeping, being hypnotized, or of being lulled into a state of mental passivity. Later in the poem, she uses the phrase "Coercive as coma," which again foregrounds the idea of consciousness, or in this case unconsciousness. Loy's careful joining of the consciousness theme with that of patriarchy suggests her concern about men's power to influence women's minds. Further, it underscores her potential criticism of women who let themselves be drawn under and mentally controlled by men.

Death

Another theme that Loy develops to support her argument about patriarchy's influence in women's lives is death. She evokes this theme through the use of the words "decease," "infects," and "corpse." She uses "corpse" and "decease" in reference to the moon or the man in the moon, suggesting that patriarchy is a dying institution. Interestingly, however, she says that it is the moon's "decease" that "infects us with unendurable ease." Loy selects the word "decease" instead of "death" and joins it in the same stanza with the word "ease." Visually, these words seem to rhyme, making one wonder if Loy meant for readers to associate "decease" with the similar word "disease." Her choice of the word "infects" confirms this supposition. Loy establishes a metaphor of infection and dying that begins with the moon's apparent "decease" and ends with women's "unendurable ease." As previously discussed, Loy believes that patriarchy will persist and that women's lives will continue to be haunted by its presence. Just as the moon will never really disappear, or die, women will never know an "ease," or state of mental calm and relaxation, that is not tainted by the specter of patriarchy. For Loy, the lasting presence of patriarchy is "unendurable," and the ease is a false comfort. In fact, such ease is like a slow death brought on by an infectious illness.

Freedom from Patriarchy

At the same time that Loy calls attention to the fact that patriarchy is seemingly a permanent social institution, she also suggests that freedom from its influence is not impossible. In the final stanza, she offers a glimmer of hope when she says that the moon or the man in the moon is "Coercive as coma / frail as bloom." Although he, or patriarchy, is as powerful as something that can completely rob someone of consciousness, there is also a fragility associated with him, or with patriarchy. Loy hints that women can become powerful and overcome patriarchy when she states in the final line of the poem that "our every corpuscle become an elf." Elves are mischievous and sometimes malicious, and they are known for their dislike of men. Further, in physics, corpuscular theory states that light is made up of corpuscles or particles that are given off by luminous bodies. If light in this poem is understood to be a metaphor for patriarchy and its power over women, then Loy's mention of corpuscles suggests that perhaps women can beat men at their own game by harnessing this light, as well as their own mischievousness, to work within the patriarchal systems and superstructures to disrupt and thus destabilize them.

Topics For Further Study

• Read Loy's "Feminist Manifesto" and discuss whether the ideas presented there can be found in "Moreover, the Moon." How does Loy's perspective on feminism compare and contrast to what you think a feminist is today? How does Loy's thinking compare and contrast to that of other leading feminists like Mary Wollstonecraft, Virginia Woolf, and Kate Millet?
• Research the cubist movement in art and literature and discuss whether cubist techniques and approaches can be found in "Moreover, the Moon." Two cubist techniques that you may want to initially consider are fragmentation and the use of collage. If you find that such elements are lacking, try to rewrite "Moreover, the Moon" to include them, or write your own poem using these techniques.
• Read Loy's poems "Apology of Genius" and "Lunar Baedeker" and compare and contrast her use of moon imagery in these works with that found in "Moreover, the Moon." How does Loy's use of the moon differ from that of other poets, such as Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Baudelaire, and Gabriele d'Annunzio?
• After reading and analyzing "Moreover, the Moon," write down two points that you think Loy is trying to get across to her readers. Then, spend twenty minutes trying to write a poem that conveys these ideas. You may want to use the sun or the stars as a central image. Gather in groups of three to share your poems and discuss whether this process was difficult or easy.