Gooseberry Season

Gooseberry Season

By Simon Armitage

Which reminds me. He appeared
at noon, asking for water. He’d walked from town
after losing his job, leaving me a note for his wife and his brother
and locking his dog in the coal bunker.
We made him a bed

and he slept till Monday.
A week went by and he hung up his coat.
Then a month, and not a stroke of work, a word of thanks,
a farthing of rent or a sign of him leaving.
One evening he mentioned a recipe

for smooth, seedless gooseberry sorbet
but by then I was tired of him: taking pocket money
from my boy at cards, sucking up to my wife and on his last night
sizing up my daughter. He was smoking my pipe
while we stirred his supper.

Where does the hand become the wrist?
Where does the neck become the shoulder? The watershed
and then the weight, whatever turns up and tips us over that
razor’s edge
between something and nothing, between
one and the other.

I could have told him this
but didn’t bother. We ran him a bath, held him under, dried him off, dressed him, and loaded him into the back of the pick‑up.
Then we drove without headlights

to the county boundary, dropped the tailgate, and after my boy
had gone through his pockets we dragged him like a mattress across the meadow.
On the count of four we threw him over the border.

This is not general knowledge, except during gooseberry season, which reminds me.
At the table I have been known to raise an eyebrow or scoop the sorbet into five equal portions, just for the hell of it.
I mention this for a good reason.

Summary of Gooseberry Season

• Popularity of “Gooseberry Season”: The poem “Gooseberry Season” was written by Simon Armitage, a renowned English poet, playwright, and former Poet Laureate. This poem first appeared in his collection The Shout in 2004. It has become a classic, noted for its chilling portrayal of a casually recounted murder and the speaker’s unsettling indifference.
• “Gooseberry Season” as a Representative of Callousness: The poem begins with a recollection triggered by a recent event of a man who sought hospitality after losing his job. He arrives unexpectedly, leaving his family and even his dog behind. He is taken in but quickly overstays his welcome, becoming a drain on the family’s resources and comfort. He shows no gratitude and even exploits their kindness. The mention of gooseberry sorbet becomes a symbol of his brazen comfort. This culminates in a disturbing act of violence, the disposal of the body, and a hauntingly nonchalant acceptance of the deed. The speaker frames the brutal act as almost unremarkable, recounting it only because the season of gooseberries—a reminder of the incident—has arrived.
• Major Themes in “Gooseberry Season”: The poem grapples with themes of murder, callousness, and remorselessness. While the guest’s behavior is certainly irritating, the poem is not about justification. Instead, it showcases a chilling indifference to violence and a disturbing lack of remorse. The speaker’s matter‑of‑fact tone highlights the casual cruelty of the act and the unsettling ease with which the family dismisses it.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Gooseberry Season

Simon Armitage skillfully employs a variety of literary devices to create the poem’s unsettling atmosphere and explore its complex themes.

1. Assonance: Assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds, creates a musical quality and emphasizes certain words or phrases. For example, the short “a” sound repeats in the line “at noon, asking for water,” adding a sense of unease.
2. Alliteration: Alliteration, the repetition of consonant sounds, also contributes to the poem’s musicality. The repetition of the “w” sound in “week went” draws attention to the passing of time and the guest’s growing imposition.
3. Enjambment: Enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, creates momentum and mimics natural speech. The lack of punctuation at the end of each line produces a feeling of continuous narrative.
4. Consonance: Consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds within words, adds texture. The repeated “l” and “k” sounds in “locking his dog in the coal bunker” reinforce the image’s harshness.
5. Imagery: Armitage uses vivid imagery to create a sensory experience. The image of the dog locked in the coal bunker is striking and unsettling. The mention of gooseberry sorbet, while seemingly innocuous, becomes a symbol of the guest’s brazen entitlement and the family’s simmering resentment.
6. Metaphor: The gooseberry sorbet functions as a metaphor for the speaker’s suppressed anger and the family’s growing frustration. The sweet treat becomes associated with the bitterness of their experience.
7. Motif: The gooseberry itself is a recurring motif, reminding the reader of the incident and highlighting the casual way it is remembered.
8. Paradox: The line “between something and nothing” presents a paradox, hinting at the precariousness of life and the ease with which it can be extinguished.
9. Rhetorical Question: The opening questions “Where does the hand become the wrist?” and “Where does the neck become the shoulder?” are unsettling and fragment the narrative, establishing a sense of unease and hinting at the boundary between acceptable behavior and violence.
10. Symbolism: The gooseberry serves as a powerful symbol of remembrance, emphasizing the cyclical nature of memory and the casual normalization of violence.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Gooseberry Season

While many literary devices overlap with poetic devices, certain techniques are particularly prominent in poetry. Armitage skillfully utilizes these to create a distinctive voice and enhance the poem’s impact.

1. Diction and Tone: The poem’s diction is remarkably colloquial and straightforward, creating a jarring contrast with its horrific subject matter. The tone is detached, almost nonchalant, amplifying the unsettling effect. The speaker’s matter‑of‑fact language makes the act of murder seem almost mundane.
2. Free Verse: The poem is written in free verse, meaning it does not adhere to a regular rhyme scheme or meter. This lack of formal structure contributes to the conversational tone and mimics natural speech.
3. Stanza Structure: The poem is essentially one stanza of twelve lines with no distinct breaks. This unbroken form mirrors the fragmented nature of memory and the speaker’s disjointed narration, creating a relentless pace that builds and releases tension.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines from “Gooseberry Season” are particularly effective in illustrating themes of unwelcome guests, inappropriate behavior, and a lack of respect.

A week went by and he hung up his coat.
Then a month, and not a stroke of work, a word of thanks,
a farthing of rent or a sign of him leaving.

These lines perfectly capture the guest’s brazen entitlement and the family’s growing resentment. They highlight the imbalance in the relationship and the guest’s complete disregard for the family’s hospitality.