The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
Quoted from "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich, these lines strike the key note of the poem. Adrienne Rich, a leading feminist poet of America, here suggests that women suffer from male domination after marriage.
Aunt Jennifer, now a lady in her middle age, has been married to an uncle. Her husband presented her a ring as a traditional gift during their marriage. The marriage institution guaranteed the husband a dominating power over his wife. The society that controls the male female relationship has made the role of the wife subordinated to the husband. The wife's wishes are suppressed and her desires are strangled. Her freedom is ruled by the patriarchal society. Aunt Jennifer is ruled by her husband, and by the society led by male members of the society. Her wishes, her desires, her sense of freedom have always been repressed. It began with the wedding band', the symbol of the husband's superiority. The words, "massive' and 'heavily', imply the gravity of her sufferings. These lines reflect Rich's feminist attitude and her protest.
