Central Idea and Summary

Central Idea

The poem contrasts the fearless, free world of art with the fearful, constrained life of its creator. Aunt Jennifer, an oppressed married woman, embroiders bold and confident tigers that are everything she is not allowed to be. The central idea is the oppression of women within a patriarchal marriage, set against the power of art to express and preserve the freedom that life denies. Even after the artist's death, her fearless creation will endure, while she herself remains marked by the ordeals of her marriage.

Summary

The poem opens with a description of the tigers that Aunt Jennifer is stitching onto a panel. They are bright, sleek creatures the colour of burnished gold, and they move across a green world with confident, prancing steps. They show no fear at all -- not even of the men who might hunt them. They are proud, majestic and completely self-assured, chivalric in their bearing. They embody strength, courage and freedom.

The poem then turns to Aunt Jennifer herself, and the contrast could not be sharper. As she works her needle through the cloth, her hands are shown to be fluttering, nervous and tired. The very act of embroidery seems difficult for her, as though the effort is almost too much. The poet draws attention to the heavy wedding band pressing on her hand, which weighs her fingers down. This detail signals that the burdens of her married life -- the dominance of her husband and the demands placed on her -- have exhausted her and robbed her of ease and confidence. …