uncomfortable clothing, complete with mask,
rubber diving suit, and flippers, and get used to
exploring unfamiliar regions. Different skills are
called for than those that equip a person to
succeed in everyday life, in which people may
be compelled to adopt surface personas that are
far from the truth of who they really are. And yet
these subconscious regions of the mind, includ-
ing desires, feelings, and hopes that have been
repressed perhaps since childhood because the
conscious mind decided that they were unaccept-
able, contain vital elements that are necessary
for the person’s psyche to be whole. This is
clear from the fact that the cargo of the wreck
contained precious metals, many of which
remain within the shell of the sunken ship, wait-
ing to be rediscovered by the intrepid explorer.
This section of the poem (the penultimate
stanza) also suggests the wisdom inherent in the
deeper, unconscious levels of the psyche, since it
refers to the instruments that once kept the ship
on course. Getting in touch with those forgotten
instruments (the authentic self rather than the
socially acceptable self) is essential if the speaker
is to live a life true to herself rather than to the
standards and expectations of others.Exploring Gender Roles and Their
Meaning
The poem has a social as well as a personal
dimension. Written by a female poet in the
early 1970s, it is a plea for the voices of women
to be heard by society. The collective rather than
individual element in the poem is clear from the
reference that the poet makes to the book in the
first and last lines of the poem. This is probably a
reference to the patriarchal nature of American
society at the time, in which men determined
what was important and what was true; in
doing so they left women out of the discourse
and tried to shape women’s lives as they thought
they ought to be, without reference to what
women might actually want or be capable of
achieving. This is why the book is referred to as
a myth, since it does not record the truth and, as
the last line suggests, often ignores the lives of
women altogether. In this sense the poem can be
read as a kind of feminist manifesto, according
to which women must learn to understand the
truth of their own lives and maintain that truth
in the face of male ignorance and prejudice.
However, the feminist interpretation does not
exclude other interpretations, since the poet is
careful to show the diver as an androgynous
figure as he/she swims around the wreck. The
implication is that both men and women need to
be liberated from restrictive gender roles. It is in
the interests of men as much as women that a
more equitable society should be created, one in
which women are as free as men have always
been to achieve their goals and ambitions.TOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDY Other than anatomical differences, are there
any other innate differences between men
and women? Are all psychological and emo-
tional differences the result of cultural influ-
ence and gender stereotyping? Are some
roles in society more appropriate for one
gender than for the other? Why do conser-
vatives and liberals differ in their responses
to these questions? Write an essay in which
you discuss these issues.
Write a report describing some of the gains
made by second-wave feminism from the
1960s to the early 1990s. Given this progress,
conclude your report by discussing what you
think feminism has yet to accomplish.
Bearing in mind that ‘‘Diving into the
Wreck’’ advocates truthful inquiry into dif-
ficult situations, write a free verse poem in
which the speaker faces up to an uncomfort-
able truth about his or her life, perhaps a
situation or an inner conflict that he or she
has been reluctant to acknowledge or deal
with for some time.
Read several other poems inDiving into the
Wreckand conduct a class presentation in
which you compare them to the title poem.
Are the other poems more or less overtly
feminist? What attitude does the poet show
toward men, and how does that compare to
the attitude shown in ‘‘Diving into the
Wreck’’?Diving into the Wreck