Family Unit- The Joy of Cooking

The Joy of Cooking

By: Elaine Magarrell

In The Joy of Cooking by Elaine Magarrell, symbolism fills the poem with illustrations and imagery. In analyzing the poem, each stanza appears to represent a different symbol and present a different idea. The first stanza’s main focus is of the narrator’s sister’s tongue. Described as rough and course, the tongue serves as a symbol of the sister’s personality and qualities. These qualities personify and characterize the sister as orderly (“neat”) and determined (“economical-it probably will grow back”), yet perhaps undesirable (“gristle”).

The second stanza presents and describes the brother’s heart which additionally serves as a symbol of the brother’s personality. The heart is described by the narrator through the statement, “It resembles muscle more than organ meat and needs an apple-onion stuffing to make it interesting at all (Lines 11-14).” This statement presents the brother as an undesirable and dull acquaintance. The brother is additionally personified and described as boring (“dull”) yet “firm” and having a small personality (“barely feeds two”).

Through the use of such symbolism as the tongue and heart, Magarrell personifies the characters of the poem. She uses vivid descriptions to create a humorous and amusing tone that holds bitterness towards the siblings. In forming vivid images of a strange cooking concoction, the author portrays the power of symbols.