Marine Creature Imagery and Ecological-Existential Thought in Marianne Moore’s Poetry

This study examines the representation of marine creatures in Marianne Moore’s poetry and how these images function as vehicles for ecological and existential thinking. Through close readings of “The Fish,” “A Jelly-Fish,” “An Egyptian Pulled Glass Bottle in the Shape of a Fish,” “The Paper Nautilus,” “Sojourn in the Whale,” and “A Grave,” this research demonstrates how Moore’s precision captures both the vulnerability and resilience of marine life. Unlike romantic interpretations, Moore presents sea creatures not as projections of human emotion but as autonomous beings with inherent value, challenging anthropocentric perspectives. Her distinctive metaphors reveal an ecological realism that acknowledges natural systems’ independence and interconnectedness. These marine images simultaneously serve as mediums for existential contemplation: the sea becomes “a well excavated grave” confronting mortality; the paper nautilus demonstrates love as “the only fortress strong enough to trust to”; and the whale’s belly evokes Bachelard’s “Jonah complex” as a space of transformation. Moore’s poetry ultimately reconfigures human-nature relationships while addressing fundamental questions of death, vulnerability, and meaning without sentimentality or romantic idealization. (Mokwon University)