"Diving into the Wreck" by Adrienne Rich

“Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich is about the coming-of-age of an adolescent girl. It is filled with descriptive imagery and objects that symbolize different aspects of the long process of maturity. As preparation for her journey, the narrator mentions a “book of myths” (1), “camera” (2), “knife-blade” (3), “body-armor” (5), “absurd flippers” (6), and a “grave and awkward mask” (7). These objects are all things she will need on her journey. The “book of myths” symbolizes the fun “myths” of childhood. Having read this “book of myths” and experiencing all the storybook-like joys of childhood, the narrator is getting ready to explore reality and the outside world. The narrator also “loaded the camera”, because she knows that the journey ahead of her is important and will be memorable. She “checked the edge of the knife-blade” (3) because she will need protection from any danger she might encounter. Since she is still young and vulnerable, the narrator wears “body-armor of black rubber ”,“absurd flippers” and a “grave and awkward mask in order to shield herself”. Inside, she is slowly preparing herself for her coming-of-age, but is still unsure of her true identity and feels the need to protect it. Her awkwardness indicates that she has not yet matured and has not yet established a name or personality for herself. As a result, she is cautious and unsure of whether to reveal herself to the world, explaining the need for “body-armor”, “flippers”, and a “mask”.

All of these objects listed above were mentioned in the first stanza, as they are tools in preparation for the narrator’s embarkation on her journey to maturity. These symbolic objects guided her through the first steps of becoming a woman, and some reappear in the last stanza of the poem. She remembers carrying a “knife” and a “camera” (91) for protection and for memories of her journey. The last phrase states that she remembers “a book of myths in which our names do not appear” (94), showing that now that she has fully matured, her name is no longer in the “book of myths”, which symbolizes the fantasy-like stories of childhood. These objects have all helped her mature and grow, so she makes sure that they are the first and last things to be mentioned in her poem.