Native American History in the Twentieth Century

¶ … Elizabeth Bishop's, "Filling Station"

Elizabeth Bishops poem "Filling Station" is about the poet's ability to see something magnificent in the most ordinary of things. It is through the observation of a dirty filling station that Bishop is able to see an example of love. Bishop is known by her skill of employing imagery with attention to detail. (Lauter 2294) In "Filling Station,"she successfully transforms a greasy filling station into a place that displays expressions of love. By engaging the reader in the poem by posing questions, she is asking the reader to look beyond what is on the surface and search for something more.

Bishop has selected the perfect subject for the topic of her poem, as most people would not find a filling station attractive nor would most people stop to think about a filling station -- in one way or another. Although it is just a dirty, greasy filling station, there are elements that Bishop notices and draws attention to, as if to reinforce her point at the end of the poem, which is that everyone is loved by someone. Only through careful observation, is she able to reach this conclusion.

Through elaborate detail, Bishop is able to create a sense of understanding in the reader. (Schmidt 829) In "Filling Station," she does this by drawing attention to opposites in the poem by having the words oily and doily rhyme. Alliteration is also an important tool, as she says "big dim doily" and "big bersute begonia." Repetition is important as well, as she repeats the reference to oily or dirty five times in the first two stanzas.

The poem begins with short lines that present a negative image of the filling station. For instance, the poet says "it is dirty... oil soaked and oil-permeated to a disturbing, over-all black translucency" (McClatchy 34;1, 3-5). However, as the poem progresses, Bishop begins to introduce other elements about the filling station that soften station's harsh appearance. For example, she wonders if the father and sons live at the filling station because she notices items that represent the feel of home: a sofa and a "dirty dog, quite comfy" (McClatchy 34;19, 20). She goes on to include a taboret covered with a doily situated next to a begonia. Bishop successfully creates a contrast between the dirty filling station and a place someone might call home.

Bishop begins this discovery by noticing certain out-of-character elements in the filling station. For instance, the colorful comic books rest upon a "dim" doily draped over a taboret. In addition, the taboret is situated next to a "big, hirsute begonia." By capturing these details, Bishop successfully transforms the scene. (Trilling 118)

Bishop is responding to what she is seeing and by asking why the plant, taboret, and doily are there, she is encouraging the reader to ask why as well. By doing this, she is introducing (and drawing attention to) a sense of femininity in the station, which illustrates Bishop's stylistic technique of isolating detail and invoking consideration in the reader. For instance, she does not just notice the doily on the table, she notices that the doily is gray, which would imply that the doily had been there for some time, collecting dust over time. Another example of this type of detail can be seen in the "grease-impregnated" wicker sofa.

Through this observation, the poet's perspective expands. Bishop begins asking questions about this particular kind of arrangement.

Why the extraneous plant? Why the taboret? Why, oh why, the doily" (McClatchy 34;28-30). In addition, by following her observations with questions, the poet is bringing together two different worlds.