Early in the Morning
19 pages • 38-minute read
Li-Young LeeEarly in the Morning
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Symbols & Motifs
Food
Descriptions of food, food preparation, and eating are frequent subjects of Li-Young Lee’s poetry. In “Early in the Morning,” the preparation of breakfast is done by the speaker’s mother. Cooking the family meal is her daily routine—a routine that is performed meditatively and with love. The speaker relays the process with an appreciative reverence; eating becomes an elevated act. Lee even chooses to capitalize the words “Winter Vegetable” in Line 4, making it a proper noun and therefore honoring the individual words and its important role in the family’s day. By giving the words such emphasis, Lee suggests that food-making is something special and perhaps even spiritual.
Steamed rice, sesame oil and other traditional Asian ingredients often appear in Lee’s poems. The inclusion of such intimate family practices provides an insight into the speaker’s cultural and culinary life. The figurative language of food also stimulates the reader’s senses, bringing the reader themself into a space of in-the-moment sensory mindfulness.
The Comb
In the poem, the mother’s comb is a symbol of beauty and grace. Ivory carving is a Chinese artform where artisans carve intricate designs of birds, flowers, and other animals into hair combs. The comb itself is an art piece that embodies feminine beauty. It represents a beloved routine for both the speaker’s mother and father as it is likened to the “music of comb against hair” (Lines 11-12). It becomes an emblem of the subtle eroticism between the mother and father.
Though the comb is an erotic symbol, it is not overtly sexual. Rather it highlights the beauty of the mother’s hair and the father’s appreciation of her beauty. The comb symbolizes the feminine: its power and the desire it inspires. The feminine is not subjugated nor is it objectified in the poem—it is honored and respected. Therefore, the comb ultimately represents the admiration of beauty.
Morning & Night
The poem is framed by the arrival of morning and its development into evening. Morning represents the preparation of a day’s work. It is in the morning that the mother readies herself for the events of the day to come. The act of preparing breakfast happens in the morning, as the meal nourishes the bodies of the mother and her family. Lee suggests that certain behaviors are required of daytime activity—the father’s comment that the hair is “kempt” in Line 20 reveals that the day requires a sense of order. In contrast, the night represents a period of reflection, enjoyment, and repose. It is in the evening that the hair pins are removed and the speaker reflects on his father’s enjoyment of doing so. Therefore, the evening is reserved for personal time between the couple and hints at the suggestion of lovemaking.
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