16 pages • 32 minutes read
Mary RuefleThe Hand
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1996A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
"Grasshopper" by Mary Reufle (2020)
Another poem that stresses that engaging with the natural world shows the importance of life, much as the main character in “The Hand” knows something secret about life as they contemplate the animal outside of their classroom window. Here, the narrator invites the reader to “make a close study of life” (Line 5), because “Now is the time / to add a grasshopper / to your viatica” (Lines 8-9).
"Keeping it Simple" by Mary Reufle (1982)
This poem works well as an accompaniment to “The Hand” in its use of birds as a symbol for renewal, rebirth, and possibly of some greater knowing or meaning for life.
"Just as the Calendar Began to Say Summer" by Mary Oliver (2004)
Touching on very similar themes of a classroom, the desire for freedom into the natural world, and of seasons changing, this Mary Oliver poem tells the story of another student longing to escape school.
"The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver (1992)
Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” explores the impulse to idly stroll through the natural world, which links it to what the student in “The Hand” experiences, driving home the question of how one should spend their life.
"Last Month" by John Ashbery (1962)
Ashbery’s “Last Month” explores a similar contrast between the indoors and the outdoors. The imagery of fruitless sunlight and “chairs piled high with books and papers” (Line 11) convey longing in many of the same ways as “The Hand” does in its imagery of a classroom, a desk, and the robin.
Further Literary Resources
"Becoming Invisible: An Interview With Mary Ruefle" from The Paris Review (2016)
In this discussion with Caitlin Youngquist, Ruefle discusses aging, invisibility, and one’s secret inner life, describing her writing process and inspiration.
"28 Short Lectures: Mary Ruefle | Woodberry Poetry Room" from Harvard University (2013)
In the inaugural lecture in the Woodberry Poetry Room's series “Discursives,” Ruefle offers insight into the her mindset in writing “The Hand”: “The difference between myself and a student is that I am better at not knowing what I am doing.”
"The Invasive Thing" by Mary Ruefle (2016)
Ruefle’s essay explores the body as it is connected to nature, with a particular exploration of the hand as a creative tool.
"Lullaby" Mary Reufle (2016)
A short story about a woman who falls asleep during a classical music concert, a moment similar to the experiences of the student whose eyes and mind wander off in “The Hand.” This piece offers a glimpse into Ruefle’s prose style, which is much like her poetry: playful and insightful.
