Bequest by Eunice de Souza
In every Catholic home there’s a picture
of Christ holding his bleeding heart
in his hand.
I used to think, ugh.
The only person with whom
I have not exchanged confidences
is my hairdresser.
Some recommend stern standards.
Others say float along.
He says, take it as it comes,
meaning, of course, as he hands it out.
I wish I could be a
Wise Woman
smiling endlessly, vacuously
like a plastic flower,
saying Child, learn from me.
It’s time to perform an act of charity
to myself,
bequeath the heart, like a
spare kidney –
preferably to an enemy.
“Bequest” is written by the feminist poet Eunice de Souza in which she talks about how patriarchy shapes
the destiny of women. She talks from the perspective of a woman speaker whose mind is shaped by the
authoritarian regulations of the phallocentric (maledominated) society. Her tone remains a bit lost and
reflects a sense of pain. This painful soliloquy (talking to oneself) is not only a confession of a single woman
out there. It is an agonized monologue of all those women whose unique voices are either subdued or hued
with the essence of patriarchy.
Context
“Bequest” appears in Eunice de Souza’s best-known poetry collection Ways of Belonging. It was published
in 1990. De Souza was a Goan poet whose works portray patriarchy in Indian society and issues of Indian
women. In the poem “Bequest”, she takes a similar stance as Kamala Das took in her poem “An
Introduction” to throw light on the effect of social conventions and patriarchal standards on a woman’s
mind. She describes how patriarchy reigns in every sphere, be it religion, society, or one’s family.
Structure & Form
Eunice’s poem “Bequest” consists of five stanzas with irregular line count. There are a total of 21 lines that
do not follow a set rhyming pattern or meter. So, it is a free verse poem. It is written from the perspective of
a female speaker in first-person. Therefore it is also an example of a lyric poem. The lyrical quality of the
poem is present in its internally rhyming lines. De Souza creates this internal rhyming by using the repetition
of similar sounds between the lines. Besides, the form aptly adheres to the scheme of confessional poetry.
Summary
“Bequest” is a poem about passing down a woman’s true emotions to their so-called other halves for the
sake of standards or floating along with the flow of conventions. Through this piece, de Souza reveals how a
woman speaker’s mindset is shaped, revised, and amended from an early age. The way she learns everything
naturally is also monitored to shape her mind according to the patriarchal structure. She used to think
showing one’s true emotions are symbolically portrayed by the image of Christ holding his heart. But, she
tried to follow the same, society made her follow the standards. Finally, as a grown-up woman, she thinks
she is like a “plastic flower”, devoid of truthfulness, selfhood, and most importantly her true identity.
The poem “Bequest” begins with an idea that is similar to the overall theme of the poem, sacrificing
oneself. De Souza presents an old image of Christ holding his bleeding heart out in his hand. This image has
two facades. Firstly, it is a religious symbol of Christ’s sacrifice and passion. On the other hand, it portrays
the speaker’s bleeding heart inflicted by the norms of patriarchy.
When the speaker was a child, she felt a bit disgusted and disturbed after looking at the bloody heart of
Christ. The expression “ugh” reflects this sense of disgust. However, the situational irony of the poem is
that while growing up, she becomes used to this metaphorically bloody side of patriarchy.
The second stanza makes it clear that the poet interpreted this image of Christ differently. She sees it
as a symbol of openness and truthfulness. Holding one’s heart out to someone is a symbolic gesture of being
true to others. It means Christ holds out his true emotions to the world.
The speaker learned this idea from this image. So, she remained true to everyone. There is no fear in
revealing her true self to others. However, there is only one exception. According to the speaker, the “only”
person she has not exchanged confidences with is her hairdresser. In this line, the poet uses two poetic
devices. One is sarcasm and another is an frustration. The idea of a “hairdresser” sounds astonishing as
readers have expected something else. In this way, the poet depicts what kind of a girl she was.
In the third stanza she says that the society did not allow her to be herself. Some recommended
following the “stern standards” of the conventional society. Here, the term “stern” infers the unrelenting and
authoritarian side of patriarchy. Some of them told her to float along with other women. In this line, the poet
uses a metaphor for floating downstream. So, the stream stands for the patriarchal standards. In order to
belong to this society, she has to float along, not knowing where this stream will lead her.
They allude to the saying of Christ. In his testament to mankind, Christ advised humans to accept whatever
comes their way. They have to always be ready for the things that the creator sends them, be it good or bad.
Furthermore, the speaker emphasizes the fact by using the expression “of course”. It seems that the poet is
depicting Christ as a symbol of patriarchy in these lines.
In the fourth stanza of “Bequest”, the speaker expresses her wish to be a “Wise Woman”. Who is a
“Wise Woman” from society’s point of view? A woman who knows only the art of smiling, not the art of
being self-satisfied, is the one who is “Wise”. She is “Wise” as she has taken the deliberate decision of
accepting the norms unquestionably. Otherwise, everyone knows what would have happened with her.
Now, the speaker’s smile reflects a sense of fakeness. No matter whether her heart is devoid of happiness or
not, she has to keep smiling in order to hide her old, mental scars.
In the following lines, the poet uses a simile to compare two distinct ideas, a plastic flower and the smile of
the speaker. A plastic flower is an imitation of reality, empty of the spontaneity of life. Likewise, now the
speaker is devoid of the emotions that make a human, “human”.
In the manner of Christ, now she teaches the art of heartless smiling to her child. What else could she teach
her future generation whose real self is crushed at an early age?
In the final stanza of “Bequest”, De Souza’s speaker ironically says that she is going to perform an
“act of charity” like Christ accepted crucifixion for the sake of humankind. But, the speaker is performing a
sacrifice not for others, but for redeeming herself from her mental sufferings.
She bequeaths (leaves) her heart. By using a simile, she compares her heart to a “spare kidney”. In this way,
she decreases the value of the most important organ of the body, to an inferior one. It is important to note the
meaning behind the term “heart”.
It is used as a metonym for emotions. Eunice’s speaker tries to sacrifice her heart to relieve herself from the
pain it constantly causing. The longer it is in her body the more she will feel pain. It will keep reminding her
of her mental sufferings for being a woman in a patriarchal society.
It is not that a woman suffers for what others say about her. She suffers most for what her close ones say.
Hence, the speaker prefers to bequeath her heart to an enemy, rather than a friend.
