Manalang, Romalaine A.

MAEd – 1A Gold

Dr. Mildred Crisostomo Literary Criticism

A Mythological Criticism of the poem The Sick Rose

The image that was formed to me while reading the poem is a diseased rose and an invisible

worm in a bed. This worm is destroying the life of the rose.

Rose symbolizes love and passion. It is not a Gumamela but a Rose which is being offered to a

girl whenever a boy wants to show his intention to a woman. It signifies elegance as well. What will

happen when a worm finds a flower to be its bed? The worm surely will be joyful. But the joy cannot be

shared with the flower. For the worm will eventually destroy the elegance of the flower. Worms live

because of the death of something.

Notice the word “invisible” as an adjective for the worm. The term “flies” was also used to

describe it. Another term is the “night” which signifies darkness. Worms cannot fly because they can

only crawl. Therefore, the worm in the poem symbolizes the hidden desire of the man to the woman

who is already weak or vulnerable at the moment. The phrase ‘dark secret love’ says it all. If someone’s

intention is clean and pure, then why do one have to use the darkness of the night? Does the worm

becomes invisible because it complements with the darkness of the night? Flying also symbolizes

someone’s enjoyment being on the top of something.

In our society, being vulnerable sometimes is a sign of weakness. Some people will come to offer

help, pretends to help at that matter but no one knows his hidden motives. Some may come just to take

advantage of the situation for his own good. It is a silent battle between the strong versus the weak.