What Would I Give? demonstrates a narrative shift much greater than the differences between Song and Up-Hill. The second character (thou) of Song and the second voice of Up-Hill are both entirely removed, and the tone itself of What Would I Give? is dramatically darker and bitter. Initially it seemed that “more doubtful” could have been attributed as well; however, what the narrator seems to doubt in What Would I Give? is entirely different than what could have been (but was not) doubted in either Song or Up-Hill. In What Would I Give?, the possibility of doubt is not in the correctness of the narrator's belief, but in the decision of the narrator to have ever embraced that belief.
The narrator here is using their faith and belief as an explanation of why they would say, “What would I give for a heart of flesh to warm me thro', / Instead of this heart of stone ice-cold whatever I do; / Hard and cold and small, of all hearts the worst of all.” This stanza makes two things clear; first, that the narrator is a cold and potentially cruel being, and second, that they are both aware and regretful of this. Discerning that it is their belief system that shrunk and petrified the heart of the narrator is difficult, and the conclusion reached is admittedly not one that would have been found had Song, Up-Hill, and the author's biography not been read before What Would I Give?
In the final stanza, the author says, “To wash the black mark clean, and to thaw the frost of years, / To was the stain ingrain and to make me clean again.” (8-9) Whether the “black mark” is meant as a metaphor or something literal is (as it always is with poets!) difficult to determine. Considering it as a literal reference, the black, ashen cross made on the forehead of believers during certain Catholic rituals comes to mind. Should this be the mark that the narrator speaks of, then it would be their faith that has, ironically, socially damned them in their pursuit of avoiding spiritual damnation.
That the tiny, cold emotional core of the narrator is a result of their faith is hardly surprising given the earliest poem in the scope of this assignment. In Song, the narrator doesn't so much as try to drive her “dearest” away from her as much as use her faith to do it; their aloof, uncaring nature for the mortal world would drive most of us mortals, grounded in remembering as we are, away. What Would I Give? strikes then as the bitter work of trying to determine whether the loss of her humanity was worth her belief.
Regardless of the frustration and depression that the narrator's ashen cross seems to have caused, it is important that here, as in both of the other poems, the narrator never calls into question the correctness of her belief – this, she seems to hold as fact. The title of the poem, however, does ask the question if she would forsake her faith now if it could mend and enlarge her shriveled heart; although they never quite approach an answer to this question, their answer seems to be a resounding no, as no hint is given as to what they actually would give.
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In the poem, What Would I Give? by Christina Rossetti, readers experience a sense of resentment throughout each stanza. The speaker clearly has some anger towards their own heart, words, tears, and all around spirit. They casually speak about wanting things that they do not have within them already, or simply things that they have given up within their life. Rossetti not only communicates the wishing of a religious rebirth; but also shows the speaker has distinctly chosen to not conform with Victorian gender roles, while wishing they had followed the rules of Victorian society.
The first line, “What would I give for a heart of flesh to warm me thro’,” (1) shows the speakers resentment of how their heart is cold and how they wish they could have a heart that is like everyone else’s. The contrast between the warmth of the heart they wish they had, and the coldness of the heart they do have, gives off a feeling of life and death. We can see that the narrator is unhappy in their life and feels as though they are dead inside They are surrounded by others with hearts full of warm flesh, which are beating and lively compared to the speakers. The line “Hard and cold and small, of all hearts the worst of all.” (3), highlights not only the “stone” heart they mentioned before, but also the life this speaker continues to have after defying the gender roles. Their heart is the “worst of all” due to the sins they have undertaken in their lifetime.
The second stanza begins the notion of religious rebirth. The rebirth-like scene has yet to show up in this stanza, but the line “What would I give for words, if only words would come;” (4) create an atmosphere of a person calling out to God in their time of need. Although, the words that this narrator speaks is never enough for them to be forgiven by God, even when they wish they were. Their spirit is no longer savable and has fallen lifeless to the ground. The narrator knows that their spirit no longer has happiness connected to it, creating a death-like scene. The last line in this stanza, “O merry friends, go your way, I have never a word to say” (6) emphasizes the loneliness this speaker feels. The loneliness is from the sins they have done, in which they can no long call out to God; or call out to people who have already conformed to gender normality.
The last stanza connects both Religion and Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen. Throughout this part, the readers can notice a sense of disgust that this person has with themselves. The line, “What would I give for tears, not smiles but scalding tears,” (7) highlights the persons want at become someone they are not. The use of “scalding tears” emphasizes the fact that this person feels the need to punish themselves because they know the sins they have done, and know they are not forgivable. They don’t want normal tears, nor do they want smiles, but specifically “scalding tears”. The use of “scalding” reminds readers of heat, relating to Hell. This allows us as readers to assume the narrator knows that is where they belong. The use of “black” highlights death, darkness, and sins. Using the word “clean” right after shows that they wish to be cleaned of all their sins. This can also be related back to men and women not wanting to conform to gender roles, but knowing that people will see it as a sin if they don’t. The speaker wishes they could go back and clean themselves of their disobedient ways.
In all, Rossetti gives readers a poem that can be related back to Religion and Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen, by her specific use of syntax and the words she chose within the poem. Her use of punctuation in the middle and at the end of each stanza, creates a heartbeat rhythm of someone whose heart is not a steady beat. This relates back to the beginning of the poem where the narrator is wishing for a heart of flesh, instead of a heart that is no longer in use. The religious aspect is expressed throughout the entire poem with the contrast of warm and cold. Readers can also find this aspect in the last stanza, by considering religious re-birthing and the forgiveness of God. The religious view may be seen through the entire poem, but another way to think of this poem is from the Victorian gender roles point of view. The readers think about how this speaker was put in their gender role, but failed at sticking with it. The narrator conveys a sense of emptiness due to them not being able to fulfill their duty as a lady or a gentleman, and not being able to be forgiven by God.
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