The Character of the Victorian Lady in Amy Lowell's "Patterns"

THE CHARACTER OF THE VICTORIAN LADY IN AMY LOWELL’S “PATTERNS”



Initiating with a scene in a garden, Lowell’s poem seems to paint a picture that is beautiful and serene. The Victorian lady walking through the garden paths is just like the flowers blowing around her-a rare pattern. Her dress is “richly figured,” and she is wearing ribboned shoes. As you read on, though, you see that although this woman is dressed elegantly and enclosed by the beauty of gardens, the dress covers her true feelings and the flowers do not quench the pain of her uneasy heart. The serenity of the sights around her are what seem to stand out at first, but these sights fade away as the lady’s character comes forth. Material things, such as money and beauty, do not seem to define the Victorian woman’s character, but instead, her actions and thoughts, the one thing that is gone forever, and the...