Telephone Conversation

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1963

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Chocolate

When the landlady continues to ask about the lightness or darkness of his color, the speaker questions, “You mean—like plain or milk chocolate?” (Line 19). Referring to a universal type of food might help clarify any miscommunication or, at the very least, lighten the mood. Not only is chocolate a universal food but also one that is sweet and often loved, given as gifts during holiday times, romantic times, and social gatherings. By using the item “chocolate,” the speaker sets it up so whatever answer he gives, it should be positive, as both plain and milk chocolate are the favorite types of chocolate. It is worth noting that he does not use dark chocolate as an option. Unfortunately for the speaker, the landlady does not accept these options, or sweet tokens, and the speaker is forced to go back to more clinical color terms, like sepia.

Omnibus

After the landlady first asks about the nature of the speaker’s color, silence ensues between them. The first sound the speaker hears jarring him back to the reality of the conversation is the “omnibus squelching tar” (Line 14). The speaker’s response after the aural imagery is “It was real!” (Line 14). What the landlady asked actually did happen, and he does have to reply. Standing in the phone booth, the bus might also represent a form of escape for the speaker. Out of polite conversational convention, it is his turn to speak, but he could also run away from the conversation that is going nowhere. Yet, something compels him to stay on the phone as if at this point he is invested in the conversation, wanting to see it through to the end, regardless of the ugly path it takes to get there.

The Color Red

Aside from the speaker’s skin color as the source of conversation, the other predominant color in the poem is red. The speaker notes, “Red booth. Red pillar box. Red double-tiered / Omnibus squelching tar” (Lines 13-14). On the one hand, red is pervasive in England, so it would be common to see. Deeper than that, though, the color red signifies England’s military and, as colonizers of Nigeria, would likely represent oppression to an African man talking to a white British landlady about whether his skin color makes him a worthy tenant or not. On a psychological level, red can signify danger. Being surrounded by all the red in a country that does not value him seems to scream, “This is not going to work; go home.” But, red also signifies energy, vitality, and passion, and it is clear throughout the telephone conversation that the speaker is not going to back down, as he inserts cheeky responses to get his point across to the woman at the other end of the phone call.