"Sorting Laundry" Symbolism

                The sorting of laundry which is performed by the speaker in Elisavietta Ritchie’s poem “Sorting Laundry” is to be interpreted both literally and figuratively. While the speaker is in fact literally sorting laundry, the articles of clothing which the speaker is handling are each representative of a component of the couple’s relationship; therefore, the poem can be characterized by the many examples of symbolism which occur throughout the entirety of the speaker’s words. In each piece of laundry that the speaker sorts, a different component of the couple’s relationship can be observed. For example, the speaker describes the pillowcases in the following manner: “Pillowcases, despite so many washings, seams still holding our dreams” (Ritchie, 841). Even within this very short statement, many insights can be made into the couple’s relationship. Because the speaker notes the fact that the pillowcases have been washed numerous times, the reader can reasonably assume that the man and woman in the poem have been in relationship for an extended period of time. Furthermore, seams are the components of a pillowcase which hold the two pieces of fabric used to make the pillowcase together. Therefore, as the speaker describes the seams of the pillow as still holding their dreams, she is not just referring to the fact that the couple’s dreams have been encouraged and preserved after all their time together. Rather, she is also referring to the fact that, just as seams keep two pieces of fabric bound to one another, the couple’s dreams do in fact keep the two individuals in the relationship bound to one another, as well. As the poem progresses, the speaker refers to other pieces of laundry to describe their life together, as well. For example, the horribly ugly patterns depicted on their towels suggest that the couple has a vibrant and lively relationship which does not demand perfection or a pristine outward appearance. Additionally, just as the speaker mentions that the couple never bleached the gaudy patterns out of the towels, she suggests that the couple would never desire to wash the colorfulness or uniqueness out of their own relationship. Moreover, even without considering specific pieces of laundry, the load of clothes as a whole is representative of the couple’s lives together. For instance, although they each have their own individual pieces of laundry, all articles of clothing are thrown into the wash together and combine into one massive pile of existence. In a similar way, just as two people in a relationship will always remain unique and distinct individuals, their lives combine in such a manner that they are, in many senses, a single unit, just as a pile of laundry composed of individual pieces of clothes can still be regarded as one unit, or load.

                Understanding the many examples of symbolism utilized by Ritchie in this poem is essential to understanding the mood shift at the end of the poem. As the poem concludes, the speaker expresses her fear at the thought of her lover one day leaving her. If the reader does not understand the symbolism presented in the other pieces of laundry, the reader will have a less clear understanding of the depth of the couple’s relationship and therefore will have less insight into the fear the speaker feels at the potential loss of this love. Therefore, the symbolism is an essential component of the poem “Sorting Laundry.”