Use of Imagery and Symbolism in the Poetry of Kamala Das

Abstract

Kamala Das is a pioneer poet of Indian Literature in English. She is a confessional poet like Emily Dickinson and Sylvia path. Her main theme is love, lust and marriage. In dealing with this theme, she has made ample and adequate use of symbols and images in poetry. Some of her major poems such as The Invitation, Freaks, Hot noon in the Malabar, The Sunshine Cat and The Old Play House are full of imaginary and symbolism. Her major symbols are the sun, the sea, the moon and the sunshine. These symbols are suitable, significant and suggestive with a view to conveying clearly her views on life, death, immortality, love, lust, sex and marriage. Several critics regard her poetry including her autobiography My Story as obscene and abnormal but this is not so. She makes good use of symbols in order to convey her inner feelings and emotions. A humble attempt has been made in the present paper to vivify the treatment of imaginary and symbolism in the poetry of Kamala Das which has made her a renowned and reputed poet like the English poets John Keats or the American poet John Berryman.