A Work of Artifice – Summary & Analysis

In Short

The Metaphor: The poem describes a bonsai tree that is kept small in a pot but could have grown eighty feet tall on a mountain.
The Gardener's Role: A gardener carefully prunes the tree, singing to it that it is lucky to be small, cozy, and domestic.
The Real Message: The poem shifts to explain that living creatures (specifically women) are conditioned early to have bound feet and crippled brains to please others.

A Work of Artifice: Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1–5

The bonsai tree
in the attractive pot
could have grown eighty feet tall
on the side of a mountain
till split by lightning.

The poem begins by introducing the central subject: a bonsai tree. A bonsai is a miniature tree grown in a container, which is artificially prevented from reaching its full size. The poet immediately establishes a contrast between what the tree is (small, in a pot) and what it could have been (eighty feet tall).

"Attractive pot": This suggests that the tree’s prison is made to look beautiful. The pot represents the domestic house or society's rules that look nice on the outside but trap the woman inside.
"Side of a mountain / till split by lightning": This represents a life of freedom. A tree on a mountain faces danger (lightning), but it also has the dignity of growing tall and wild. Piercy is suggesting that a free life is risky but majestic, whereas a safe life in a pot is tiny and insignificant.

Lines 6–10

But a gardener
carefully pruned it.
It is nine inches high.
Every day as he
whittles back the branches

The focus shifts to the gardener, who represents the patriarchal society (men, fathers, or husbands) that controls women.

"Carefully pruned": The word "carefully" sounds gentle, but the action is violent. Pruning means cutting away parts of the tree. This symbolizes how society cuts away a woman's potential, ambition, and freedom.
"Nine inches high": This specific measurement highlights the tragedy. A potential eighty-foot giant has been reduced to the size of a ruler.
"Whittles back the branches": "Whittling" is a slow, constant action. This implies that the oppression of women isn't a one-time event; it happens every day through small comments, rules, and restrictions that limit their growth.

Lines 11–16

the gardener croons,
It is your nature
to be small and cozy,
domestic and weak;
how lucky, little tree,
to have a pot to grow in.

Here, the gardener speaks to the tree. The word "croons" is important—it means to sing in a soft, low voice. He is not shouting; he is manipulating the tree with soft words.

"It is your nature": This is the central lie of the poem. The gardener convinces the tree that it was born to be small. This mirrors how society tells women that they are "naturally" weaker, more emotional, or better suited for housework than for leadership.
"Small and cozy, domestic and weak": These adjectives describe the "ideal" Victorian or traditional woman—harmless and home-bound.
"How lucky, little tree": This is deeply ironic. The gardener tells the victim (the tree) that it should be grateful for its cage (the pot). He frames the restriction as "protection."

Lines 17–24

With living creatures
one must begin very early
to dwarf their growth:
the bound feet,
the crippled brain,
the hair in curlers,
the hands you
love to touch.

In the final section, the poet drops the metaphor and speaks directly about the human condition.

"Begin very early": Conditioning starts in childhood. Girls are taught from a young age how to behave, sit, and dress.
"Bound feet": A historical reference to Chinese foot-binding, where women’s feet were broken and wrapped to keep them tiny. This was done for beauty but resulted in physical disability.
"Crippled brain": Piercy suggests that denying women education or intellectual freedom "cripples" their minds just as foot-binding crippled their bodies.
"Hair in curlers": A modern symbol of beauty standards. Women undergo discomfort to look pleasing to men.
"The hands you love to touch": The poem ends with a shocking twist. The "hands" that have been stunted and controlled are the ones men claim to love. It suggests that men (or society) do not love women for their strength, but for their vulnerability and weakness. The "you" implicates the reader, forcing us to question what we value in others.

A Work of Artifice – Word Notes

Key Vocabulary and Explanations

Bonsai tree - A Japanese art form where trees are grown in small pots and carefully pruned to keep them miniature, though they could grow much larger in nature. Symbolizes restricted potential.

Attractive pot - The beautiful container that holds the bonsai. Represents society's appealing but confining roles for women.

Pruned - Cut back branches to control growth. The gardener trims the tree daily to keep it small.

Whittles - Carves or cuts away small pieces slowly with a knife. Shows constant, gradual control over the tree's shape.

Croons - Sings or speaks in a soft, soothing voice. The gardener uses gentle words to manipulate the tree.

Domestic - Related to home and family life. Describes the ideal role society wants women to play.

Bound feet - Historical Chinese practice where girls' feet were tightly wrapped from childhood to keep them small, causing lifelong pain and disability. Symbol of extreme female oppression.

Crippled brain - A mind damaged or limited by lack of education or opportunity. Piercy says society prevents women from thinking freely.

Artifice - Clever trick or artificial creation (in the title). The "work of artifice" is the fake idea that women should stay small and weak.

Publication

"A Work of Artifice" was published in Marge Piercy's poetry collection titled To Be of Use in 1973. This period was the height of the "Second Wave Feminism" movement in the United States. During this time, women writers were actively questioning traditional gender roles and the societal pressure to be merely housewives or mothers. The poem is one of Piercy’s most famous works and is frequently studied as a classic example of feminist literature. It reflects the political atmosphere of the 1970s, where the "personal was political," meaning domestic issues were seen as part of a larger political struggle.

Context

Marge Piercy is an American poet and activist known for her focus on women's rights and social justice. The poem was written during an era when women were fighting for equal pay, reproductive rights, and freedom from strict gender roles. In the 1970s, many women felt they were being treated like "decorative objects" rather than capable human beings.

The poem critiques the idea of biological determinism—the belief that biology determines a person's role in life. By using the bonsai tree, Piercy argues against the idea that women are "naturally" weak. Instead, she asserts that this weakness is man-made (an "artifice"). The context is essential because the poem is not just about a tree; it is a protest against the systematic training of girls to be lesser versions of themselves.

Setting

The setting of the poem is metaphorical. On the surface, the setting is a garden or inside a home where a bonsai tree is kept in a pot. This indoor setting represents the domestic sphere—the house and home where women were traditionally expected to stay.

This is contrasted with the "side of a mountain," which represents the wild, natural world outside the home. The mountain is a setting of danger (lightning) but also of unlimited potential and freedom. The "attractive pot" is a micro-setting that symbolizes the cage of social expectations. It is comfortable and safe, but it is a prison. By keeping the setting focused on the pot, Piercy emphasizes the feeling of claustrophobia and confinement that the tree (and the woman) experiences.

Title

The title "A Work of Artifice" is significant. The word "artifice" means a clever trick, deception, or something made by human skill rather than nature.

Deception: It refers to the gardener's trickery. He tricks the tree into believing it is "lucky" to be small. Similarly, society tricks women into thinking they enjoy their oppression.
Artificiality: A bonsai tree is not natural; it is a "work of art" created by humans. Piercy is saying that the traditional concept of "femininity" (being small, weak, and domestic) is not natural. It is a fake product created by society.

The title forces the reader to realize that what they are looking at (the "cute" tree or the "cute" woman) is not a natural occurrence, but a manufactured object designed to please the viewer.

Form and Language

The poem is written in free verse, meaning it has no fixed metrical pattern. The lines are short and choppy, resembling the stunted growth of the bonsai tree itself. The lack of a flowing rhythm mimics the way the tree’s life has been "whittled" down.

The language is simple and conversational, yet deceptive. Piercy uses soft words like "carefully," "croons," "cozy," and "lucky." These words sound positive and gentle. However, they describe horrific actions (pruning, stunting growth). This contrast creates irony. The gardener uses the language of love to commit an act of violence. This mirrors how abusers often claim they are "protecting" their victims while actually controlling them.

Meter and Rhyme

Rhyme Scheme: There is no rhyme scheme in this poem. It does not follow an AABB or ABAB pattern. The absence of rhyme makes the poem feel serious and conversational, like a direct statement of truth rather than a song.
Meter: The poem does not follow a specific meter (like iambic pentameter). It is irregular.
Effect of Structure: The lines are often enjambed (one line runs into the next without punctuation). For example: "The hands you / love to touch." This forces the reader’s eye to move quickly down the page, much like the gardener’s shears cutting downwards. The short, thin shape of the poem on the paper visually resembles the narrow, stunted tree it describes. The form perfectly matches the content—it is a "small" poem about a "small" tree.

Themes

1. Gender Oppression and Control

The primary theme is how men (the gardener) exert control over women (the bonsai). The poem illustrates that oppression is often subtle. It doesn't always look like chains and prisons; sometimes it looks like an "attractive pot." The gardener controls the tree's size, shape, and even its self-perception. Piercy argues that society shapes women to fit into a mold that is convenient for men, denying them the chance to grow "eighty feet tall" and reach their full potential.

2. Nature vs. Nurture (Conditioning)

The poem challenges the idea of "nature." The gardener claims it is the tree's nature to be small. However, we know this is a lie—the tree is naturally a giant. Piercy explores the theme of social conditioning (nurture). She argues that women are not born with a desire to be "domestic and weak"; they are taught to be that way. The poem shows that if you begin "very early" with any living creature, you can twist their nature into whatever shape you want.

3. The Illusion of Safety

Another key theme is the false trade-off between freedom and safety. The gardener offers the tree safety ("cozy," "lucky") in exchange for its freedom. The pot protects the tree from lightning, but it also stops it from living a real life. Piercy suggests that the "safety" offered to women (staying at home, being protected by men) is actually a trap that leaves them vulnerable and dependent. True growth requires the risk of the "mountain," not the safety of the pot.

Symbols

1. The Bonsai Tree

The bonsai tree symbolizes women. Specifically, it represents women who have been conditioned by society. Just as the tree has the potential to be a giant but is kept small, women have the potential for greatness (intellectual, political, creative) but are often restricted to the domestic sphere. The tree is a victim that has been tricked into accepting its smallness as its destiny.

2. The Gardener

The gardener symbolizes patriarchy, society, or dominant male figures (fathers/husbands). He is the one with the power (the shears). He determines the shape of the tree. His "crooning" represents the soft power of media, culture, and education that tells girls they should be pretty and quiet. He acts like a protector but is actually a jailer.

3. The Pot

The "attractive pot" symbolizes the home or societal expectations. It is the container that limits the woman. It is described as "attractive" because society rewards women for fitting in. If a woman stays in her "pot" (her role as a housewife or obedient daughter), she is praised. However, the pot prevents her roots from spreading, effectively stunting her growth.

Literary Devices

1. Metaphor

Definition: A direct comparison between two unlike things.
Example: The entire poem is an extended metaphor. The bonsai tree is the woman; the gardener is society.
Explanation: By using a tree instead of a person, Piercy makes the violence of oppression easier to see. We can clearly see that cutting a giant tree down to nine inches is wrong; this helps us understand that limiting a woman's potential is equally wrong.

2. Irony

Definition: When the intended meaning is the opposite of the literal meaning.
Example: "How lucky, little tree" and "It is your nature / to be small and cozy."
Explanation: It is not the tree's nature to be small, and the tree is not lucky. The gardener is lying. The irony highlights how oppressors often frame their control as a "favor" to the oppressed.

3. Personification

Definition: Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Example: The gardener talks to the tree as if it can understand and has feelings ("small and cozy").
Explanation: While the gardener speaks to the tree, the tree itself is treated as a person (a woman). The gardener creates a personality for the tree ("domestic and weak") that the tree did not choose for itself.

4. Allusion

Definition: A brief reference to a historical or literary figure, event, or object.
Example: "the bound feet"
Explanation: This alludes to the ancient Chinese practice of foot-binding. This historical reference anchors the poem in reality, reminding the reader that the "pruning" described in the poem is a real physical reality for millions of women throughout history.