"[you fit into me]" first appeared in Canadian author Margaret Atwood's Power Politics, a 1971 poetry collection exploring feminist themes. In four short lines, the poem's speaker reveals the horror that may lie just beneath the surface of romance. On its broadest level, the poem suggests that, in romantic love, there's a fine line between passion and pain. The poem can also be interpreted as being specifically about the gender dynamics of heterosexual love in a patriarchy, or a world in which men primarily hold positions of power throughout society. In such a world, the poem implies, romance between men and women is complicated by male dominance and the possibility of violence.

• Read the full text of “[you fit into me]”

• “[you fit into me]” Summary

• “[you fit into me]” Themes

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    Romance and Violence

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-4

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “[you fit into me]”

  • Line 1

    you fit into me

    

    

    

    

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  • Line 2

    like a hook into an eye

    

    

    

    

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  • Line 3

    a fish hook

    

    

    

    

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  • Line 4

    an open eye

    

    

    

    

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• “[you fit into me]” Symbols

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    The Hook and Eye

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “hook into an eye”
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    The Fish Hook

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “a fish hook”
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    The Open Eye

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “an open eye”

• “[you fit into me]” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Antanaclasis

    

    

    

    

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    Where antanaclasis appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “hook,” “eye”
    • Line 3: “hook”
    • Line 4: “eye”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “fit,” “into”
    • Line 2: “like,” “eye”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “me / like”

  • Juxtaposition

    

    

    

    

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    Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 2-4

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “you fit into me / like a hook into an eye”

  • Pun

    

    

    

    

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    Where pun appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “an open eye”

• “[you fit into me]” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Hook and eye
  • (Location in poem: Line 2: “hook into an eye”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “[you fit into me]”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “[you fit into me]” Speaker

• “[you fit into me]” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “[you fit into me]”

• More “[you fit into me]” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Atwood's Dystopias — This essay focuses mostly on Atwood's dystopian fiction.

    • Atwood's Biography — Some biographical information on Atwood and links to more of her poems.

    • Hook and Eye Closures — The history of the clasp mentioned in the poem.

    • The Poem Animated — This reading of the poem leans on its sinister elements right from the beginning.

    • An Interview With Atwood — Watch as Atwood discusses her writing process.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Margaret Atwood

    • Half-Hanged Mary

    • Siren Song

    • The City Planners

    • This Is a Photograph of Me

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