Old Couple Poem Analysis

In the poem “Old Couple” by Charles Simic, the author utilizes a frightful tone, and the symbol of the fifth floor window to reveal the controlling idea that humans tend to impose their perceptions onto the world around them, which can alter the way one perceives reality. In order to have a better grasp on people and the world around them, one should remain open minded instead of jumping to conclusions. Within this poem, the speaker is unreliable. The speaker is viewing the couple from a distance and describes the couple from what they have seen. In the first stanza, the speaker states, “As far as I know, they never go out.” By stating “As far as I know,” the speaker reveals that they do not know much about the old couple. Consequently, the
The line seems to be said in order to reveal something about the old couple, but instead it reveals more about the speaker than the couple in the poem. Everything the speaker knows about the couple has been based off of the visual evidence the speaker has gained through observing the old couple through their fifth floor window. The window allows the speaker to see what goes on inside the old couple’s home and past the window, so in other words, the window exposes the speaker to the truth of the matter regarding the old couple’s life. The speaker then goes on to state, “I see him get up to lower the shades. / If their window stays dark, / I know that his hand has reached hers ….” When the speaker looks through the window, they are able to see what the couple is actually doing and what actually happens in their daily life. The speaker has no real way of knowing whether or not “his hand has reached hers,” yet they continue to make that assumption. The window is symbolic of truth because the speaker is basing their views of the couple off of assumptions, and the only time the speaker really knows what’s going on in the couple’s life is when they look through the window. When the shades are shut, and the speaker