The Bagel

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1968

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Finding An Open Life

Shortly before his death, in 1995 David Ignatow described his thought process while writing “The Bagel” to Pacernick. Ignatow said that initially he did not intend for the poem to be humorously read, although he later came to realize there was humor in the situation. Ignatow wrote the poem when he felt he was “living a very limited and quietly desperate life.” The bagel, he notes “was a token” of his “hope for a larger life, a bigger, more varied life. A more open life.” In this way, the chase for the bagel can be read as a pursuit for this better kind of life. Rather than remain in the drudgery that forced their “annoy[ance]” (Line 3), the speaker is willing to fight for improvement, actively symbolized by their physical exertion. They’re determined to run after this goal, even if it means “[doubling] over” (Line 8) or “[bending] low, gritting [their] teeth” (Line 7). The effort is worth it—and it pays off.

“The Bagel” ends on an uplifting note. The speaker transforms something of a bagel, falling “head over heels” (Line 11), somersaulting down the street. Rather than chase after things they cannot control, they embrace forward momentum—their movement away from the static “stopped” (Line 1) feeling of “annoy[ance]” (Line 3). A bagel literally has an open center and by imitating the bagel, the speaker metaphorically gains one, too. No wonder the poem ends with the speaker being “strangely happy” (Line 13). Ignatow expressed to Pacernick his satisfaction that he had artistically revealed his “inner longing” for a “much more hopeful life” with the poem.

Jewish Heritage

Robert Bly famously called “The Bagel” Ignatow’s “good-hearted tribute to the Jewish people.” While Ignatow noted the poem had a more personal meaning, his poetic use of his Jewish culture was well-established, and the poem can indeed be read as a poem about Jewish identity. The bagel is a boiled wheat roll shaped like a ring, first invented by Polish Jews. It is commonly available in cities where Jewish communities reside, like New York City. Many immigrants have noted the difficulty of holding on to old traditions as they make new homes in the United States. In “The Bagel,” this concept is represented by the accidental drop of the bagel onto the street at the beginning of the poem. The bagel’s “rolling away” (Line 2) from its owner can be read as how a specific culture might be lost in the process of assimilation or due to the hustle and bustle of the world. The speaker’s chase can be seen as a metaphoric representation of trying to retain heritage as it slips away “faster and faster” (Line 6).

Ignatow’s answer to such a crisis is realized when the speaker understands the quest for culture is not a rigid outward one—as represented by the bagel rolling down the street—but a flexible inward one. The speaker falls “head over heels” (Line 11) and somersaults down the street, becoming the bagel they once pursued. At this point, their emotional state of being “annoyed” (Line 3) at dropping the bagel transforms into becoming “strangely happy” (Line 13). Self-blame evaporates by the end of the poem as the speaker adapts their definition of what the “portent” (Line 5) of the bagel truly means.

Evading the Panic of a “Portent”

Sometimes, something as simple as a minor mistake yields a psychological doomsday feeling. Panic sears through the body resulting in the notion that all is lost; one may worry that a single unpleasant event will start a chain reaction. In “The Bagel,” the titular item, dropped on the street is compared to a “portent” (Line 5), or bad omen—a warning that something calamitous is on the horizon. In practical terms, dropping the bagel means that the speaker will not eat it, losing out on sustenance. Yet, the line “as if it were a portent” (Line 5) suggests the speaker is feeling the loss on a deeper level. Most people have moments like this when the present and future seem irrevocably marred by an act of carelessness. This can result in paralyzing self-blame, preventing people from moving forward, in the same way the speaker is “annoyed with [themself]” (Line 3).

Wellness scholars suggest that if, during a moment of crisis, a person concentrates on physicality, panic may be averted. “The Bagel” offers this kind of meditative answer to the feeling of epic disaster. While the concentration at first is unpleasant as the speaker must be “bent low” (Line 7) and is “doubled over” (Line 8), this shifts into a more pleasant sensation as the speaker falls “head over heels” (Line 10) as they “roll[] down the street” (Line 9). As the speaker gives over to “one complete somersault / after another” (Lines 11-12), they become “strangely happy” (Line 13). Meditation experts suggest that engaging in a repetitive process can lead to a calmer response, averting full blown panic. In this way, “The Bagel” offers a method of psychological meditation—not just an observation of a humorous chase.