The Bean Eaters Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

The Bean Eaters

By Gwendolyn Brooks

They eat beans mostly, this old yellow pair.
Dinner is a casual affair.
Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,
Tin flatware.

Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.

And remembering…
Remembering, with twinklings and twinges,
As they lean over the beans in their rented back room that is full of beads and receipts and dolls and clothes, tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes.

Unpacking “The Bean Eaters”: A Glimpse into Enduring Lives

Gwendolyn Brooks’s “The Bean Eaters” stands as a poignant and enduring testament to the quiet dignity of everyday existence. First published in 1945 and later included in her celebrated 1959 collection, this poem helped solidify Brooks’s reputation as a masterful observer of human life, particularly within African American communities. Its profound simplicity and evocative imagery have made it a beloved piece in countless anthologies, resonating with readers across generations.

The Heart of the Poem: A Simple Yet Profound Narrative

At its core, “The Bean Eaters” offers a tender and intimate portrait of an elderly couple, affectionately referred to as the “old yellow pair.” The poem captures a single, ordinary moment: their dinner. This meal, consisting “mostly” of beans, is described as a “casual affair,” taking place amidst humble surroundings of “plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood, Tin flatware.” This scene immediately establishes a sense of modesty and routine that defines their lives.

The central idea of the poem revolves around the quiet resilience, enduring companionship, and profound beauty found in a life lived with simplicity and grace. It celebrates the dignity of ordinary people, highlighting the richness of their inner lives and the deep history shared between two individuals. Despite the passage of time and the inevitable onset of old age, the couple maintains a sense of purpose and connection, symbolized by their shared meal and their shared memories.

For any reader, it is noteworthy how Brooks elevates the mundane to the poetic. The poem suggests that true richness is not found in material wealth but in the shared experiences, routines, and memories that bind people together. It is a powerful reminder that every life, no matter how outwardly simple, holds a universe of stories and emotions.

Themes Woven into the Fabric of Daily Life

Several universal themes emerge from this concise yet powerful poem:

Aging and Resilience: The poem beautifully portrays the realities of old age, not with pity, but with respect for the couple’s continued engagement with life. They “keep on putting on their clothes / And putting things away,” actions that speak to their enduring routine and quiet determination.
Memory and Nostalgia: The final stanza delves into the couple’s rich inner world, emphasizing the act of “Remembering… with twinklings and twinges.” This suggests a lifetime of accumulated experiences, both joyful (“twinklings”) and perhaps bittersweet or painful (“twinges”), which they revisit together.
Dignity in Simplicity: Brooks finds profound dignity in the couple’s unpretentious existence. Their “plain” surroundings and simple diet are not presented as lacking, but rather as the backdrop for a life full of quiet meaning and enduring love.
Companionship and Enduring Love: The very act of sharing a meal, however humble, underscores their deep bond. They are a “pair” who have “lived their day” together, and their shared routine and memories are the bedrock of their long-standing partnership.

A Deep Dive into the Craft: Literary and Poetic Devices in “The Bean Eaters”

Gwendolyn Brooks masterfully employs a range of literary and poetic devices to imbue “The Bean Eaters” with its vivid imagery, emotional resonance, and profound impact. An examination of these techniques reveals the poem’s intricate artistry.

Imagery: Painting a Picture of Modest Existence

Brooks’s use of imagery is central to creating the poem’s atmosphere and allowing readers to visualize the couple’s world. She appeals to multiple senses:

Visual Imagery: The poem opens with a striking visual of the “old yellow pair,” suggesting not only their age but perhaps a gentle fading or the warmth of long years. The description of their meal is equally vivid:

Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood,
Tin flatware.

These lines evoke a clear picture of humble, well-used items, suggesting a life devoid of extravagance but rich in experience. The “rented back room that is full of beads and receipts and dolls and clothes, tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes” creates a cluttered yet intimate tableau, a visual representation of a lifetime’s accumulation.
Auditory Imagery: The “creaking wood” of their table adds a subtle auditory detail, hinting at the age of their furniture and perhaps the quiet sounds of their daily life.
Tactile Imagery: While not explicitly stated, the “plain chipware” and “tin flatware” suggest a certain roughness or utilitarian feel, contrasting with more refined dining experiences.

Through these images, Brooks constructs a world that feels authentic and lived-in, allowing the reader to step into the couple’s modest reality.

Diction: The Power of Simple Language

Brooks’s choice of words, or diction, is remarkably precise and contributes significantly to the poem’s tone and meaning. She employs simple, accessible language that mirrors the couple’s unpretentious life, yet each word carries weight:

Words like “mostly,” “casual affair,” “plain,” and “tin” immediately establish a tone of modesty and lack of pretense. There is no attempt to romanticize or exaggerate their circumstances.
The phrase “Two who are Mostly Good” is particularly insightful. The capitalization of “Mostly Good” elevates this simple descriptor, suggesting a fundamental decency and moral compass that has guided their lives, without implying perfection. It speaks to a quiet virtue.
The verbs “putting on” and “putting things away” are simple, routine actions, yet they convey a sense of order, purpose, and continued engagement with life despite their age.
The final stanza’s “twinklings and twinges” are evocative word choices that beautifully capture the dual nature of memory, encompassing both joy and sorrow, light and pain.

This careful diction ensures that the poem remains grounded in reality while achieving profound emotional depth.

Sound Devices: The Music of Everyday Life

Brooks subtly weaves sound devices throughout “The Bean Eaters,” enhancing its musicality and reinforcing its themes without resorting to a strict, overt rhythm or rhyme scheme.

Assonance and Consonance

Assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds, can be heard in lines such as “Dinner is a casual affair,” where the repeated short ‘a’ sound creates a gentle, flowing quality.
Consonance, the repetition of consonant sounds, is evident in “Plain chipware on a plain and creaking wood.” The repetition of the ‘p’ sound and the ‘k’ sound creates a textured, almost tactile effect, mirroring the solid, worn nature of their belongings.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds, or alliteration, also contributes to the poem’s sonic texture. The phrase “twinklings and twinges” not only captures the essence of memory but also creates a pleasing, memorable sound through the repeated ‘tw’ sound.

These subtle sonic elements contribute to the poem’s overall quiet beauty and its ability to linger in the reader’s mind.

Structure and Form: The Poem’s Steady Rhythm

The structural choices Brooks makes for “The Bean Eaters” are integral to its impact, reflecting the steady, unassuming nature of the couple’s life.

Stanzaic Structure and Enjambment

The poem is composed of three quatrains, or four-line stanzas. This consistent, balanced structure provides a sense of order and stability, mirroring the couple’s established routines. Each stanza acts as a distinct yet connected snapshot of their existence.
Enjambment, the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without a pause, is used effectively to create a natural, conversational flow. For example:

Two who have lived their day,
But keep on putting on their clothes
And putting things away.

This technique allows the narrative to unfold smoothly, drawing the reader from one thought to the next, much like the continuous flow of life itself. It also emphasizes the ongoing nature of their actions.

Rhyme and Rhythm

While the poem does not adhere to a strict or predictable rhyme scheme, it incorporates occasional end rhymes that add a touch of musicality without disrupting the natural speech patterns. In the first stanza, “pair” and “affair” create a gentle rhyme, and in the second, “day” and “away” provide a similar subtle connection. This sporadic use of rhyme prevents the poem from feeling overly formal or sing-songy, maintaining its grounded, realistic tone.
The rhythm of the poem is largely conversational and free verse, yet it possesses a natural cadence. The lines are relatively short, contributing to a sense of conciseness and directness, allowing each image and idea to land with impact.

Symbolism: Deeper Meanings in the Mundane

Brooks employs symbolism to imbue ordinary objects and actions with deeper significance:

Beans: The most prominent symbol, beans represent basic sustenance, simplicity, and the fundamental necessities of life. Their consistent presence in the couple’s diet underscores their unpretentious existence and their ability to find contentment in what is essential. Eating beans together also symbolizes their enduring partnership and shared life.
The Rented Back Room: This space, “full of beads and receipts and dolls and clothes, tobacco crumbs, vases and fringes,” symbolizes a lifetime of accumulated memories, experiences, and possessions. It is a physical manifestation of their shared history, a repository of their past, and a testament to a life fully lived, even if it is modest. The clutter is not a sign of disarray but rather a rich tapestry of their journey together.
“Putting on their clothes / And putting things away”: These simple actions symbolize the couple’s continued engagement with life, their resilience, and their quiet determination to maintain order and purpose in their old age. They are acts of enduring dignity.

Repetition and Anaphora: Emphasizing Enduring Qualities

Brooks uses repetition to underscore key aspects of the couple’s character and their shared life:

The phrase “Two who are” at the beginning of successive lines is an example of anaphora:

Two who are Mostly Good.
Two who have lived their day,

This repetition emphasizes their shared identity and collective experience, highlighting their enduring qualities and the long span of their life together. It creates a sense of unity and reinforces the idea of them as an inseparable “pair.”
The repetition of “Remembering” in the final stanza amplifies the importance of memory to their present existence, drawing the reader’s focus to their rich inner world.

The Enduring Legacy of “The Bean Eaters”

“The Bean Eaters” by Gwendolyn Brooks is a masterful poem that, through its precise language and evocative imagery, invites readers to reflect on the profound beauty found in the most ordinary of lives. It is a celebration of resilience, memory, and the quiet dignity of aging, reminding us that every shared meal, every simple routine, and every cherished memory contributes to the rich tapestry of human experience. The poem’s timeless appeal lies in its ability to find universal truths within the specific, humble details of one couple’s existence, making it a powerful and deeply moving work of literature that continues to resonate with its audience.