The Crazy Woman
18 pages • 36-minute read
Gwendolyn BrooksThe Crazy Woman
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Themes
Happiness versus Sadness
In her poem “The Crazy Woman,” Gwendolyn Brooks never uses the words “happy” and “sad.” Instead, her speaker, the so-called “Crazy Woman” (Line 11), says “gay” (Line 2) and “gray” (Line 4). These terms serve as synonyms for “happy” and “sad” and point to one of the poem’s central themes: happiness versus sadness.
The crazy woman is crazy because she does not want to sing a song in May. For the speaker, May equals happiness, as May brings warm weather, sunshine, bloom, and numerous other delightful sights often linked to springtime. Thus, the woman intends to “wait until November” (Line 3) to use her voice. This is when the woman will sing her song since the November atmosphere links to the kind of song she wants to sing, which is “a song of gray” (Line 4). Gray is not a bright color, and November is not a sunny time of year—it is a season where plants die, trees lose their leaves, and everything closes up for the winter. This change in season, while natural, can signify sadness, and even death, after a vibrant spring and summer. In the poem, November brings the theme of sadness to the forefront.
The speaker seems to prefer sad songs, which suggests the speaker has a melancholy disposition or that she would rather deal with the sorrows and suffering of life than act like life is mostly sunny and happy. Whatever the case may be, the speaker favors the dour part of the year, remarking, “That is the time for me” (Line 6). With a note of irony, now that the weather is chilly and bleak, the speaker can venture outside and “sing most terribly” (Line 8). She can give voice to her misery and the woes of the world.
The theme of happiness versus sadness continues in the last stanza with “the little people” (Line 9). The common person does not understand why the woman would prefer to sing a sad song instead of a happy one. The small-minded individual thinks the woman is “the Crazy Woman” (Line 11) for singing about bleak subjects instead of bright topics. Yet someone more thoughtful—a person not a part of the pejorative “little people” (Line 9)—can see why the woman privileges a sad song over a happy tune. Such a considerate person might not unfavorably judge her behavior.
The Difference Between Independent and Crazy
The word “crazy” appears in the title of Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem and then does not come up again until the penultimate line. As Brooks titles her poem “The Crazy Woman,” the theme of craziness, what behavior qualifies as crazy, and whether such actions are crazy or defiant and independent is key to understanding the poem.
The speaker exhibits her independence in the poem’s first line. “I shall not sing a May song” (Line 1) she declares, refusing to do the expected. She is resisting norms that would compel her to sing a happy song in May. Instead, the speaker will do her own thing. She will “wait until November / And sing a song of gay” (Line 3-4). The speaker deviates from societal expectations. Most people want to be happy and hear joyous songs, but the speaker stands apart. She has different thoughts and beliefs, and she is not afraid to stand up for them and put them into practice.
The speaker reasserts her independence, repeating “I’ll wait until November” (Line 5). November is “the time” (Line 6) for her, when she is most comfortable expressing her true feelings. Unlike other people, the speaker feels at home in the cold, bleak weather, as this is when she can “go out in the frosty dark / And sing most terribly (Lines 7-8). This image furthers the theme of independence since it provides a portrait of the singer alone, by herself, singing terribly but honestly.
In Stanza 3, the speaker pictures hypothetical people who will judge her behavior, calling her “Crazy” (Line 11) for her brazen defiance. The speaker casts doubt on their authority with her own name, calling them “little people” (Line 9) to preemptively discredit their perspective. They think the woman is crazy because she deviates from their expectations that a person should prefer to “sing in May” (Line 12). In other words, “the little people” confuse the woman’s independence and autonomy for craziness.
The “crazy” designation is not a legitimate medical diagnosis but a reaction to the woman’s defiance. The woman separates herself from the pack, so the majority—“the little people” (Line 9)—think she is crazy. Someone else might provide a less reactionary label and call her conduct independent, bold, or individualistic.
The Power of Voices
The main action in “The Crazy Woman” is singing. The poem is about when and where a woman will sing a song. The centrality of singing leads to the theme of voice. The woman chooses the topic, time, and place to use her voice. She does not want to use her voice to sing about happy things but to sing about unhappy subjects. The woman has confidence in her decision, so she can “wait until November” (Lines 3, 5) She does not want to use her voice before then—she must use her voice when she wants, which is in November.
The theme of voice comes down to more than just singing. To sing her song at the time of her choosing, the woman must use another voice. This voice is somewhat different, as it is not a singing voice, but a voice merely to communicate that she will not sing a joyous song in May. The reader never hears the woman’s singing voice, nor does the poem provide an excerpt of the song itself in the poem.
However, Brooks demonstrates the woman’s resolute regular voice. In a speaking voice, the woman announces her plan to sing in November and not in May: “I shall not sing a May song” (Line 1) she states. The woman follows this up by saying, “I’ll wait until November” (Line 5). This is the voice, the non-singing voice, of the poem, and this voice’s power allows the speaker to use her powerful singing voice in the month she wants.
There is another powerful voice in the poem—the voice of “the little people” (Line 9) who she imagines challenging her voice. In her mind, these people collectively use their voices to label the woman and her actions. She is “the Crazy Woman” (Line 11). Yes, the critical crowd’s voice carries such weight that they rename the woman and give her a new identity. Yet the name “little people” (Line 9) is not laudable either, and it indicates the speaker is trying to say something about the power often given to the voices of the majority. The speaker seems to say that the voice of the masses should not be so easily privileged, and the voices of individuals, artists, poets, and minorities should be allowed to carry more weight. Indeed, through the theme of voice, the poem shows that the woman can speak (and sing) for herself and on her own terms.
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