Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich is a piece rich with symbolism. It is helpful to know about Rich’s background as a feminist and voice for women writers in order to interpret this piece. A shipwreck is a common symbol for things or ideas that have faded away, or in this case, have been hidden but not forgotten. Women have not always had the opportunity to express themselves through literature. This poem can be interpreted as exploring the process of searching for the work of female writers that history has quieted but not forgotten completely.

The narrator of this poem represents anyone who desires to search for the work of women of the past. Rich writes, “I am she: I am he” to show that discovering the actual work of these women can be done by anybody. It is important to note that the narrator seeks the work of these women and the work alone. Rich makes it a point to say, “the thing I came for: the wreck and not the story of the wreck” in order to show that the narrator wants to see and read the work without the bias and distraction of the views of others. The narrator is inspired by what he/she has read about the topic of women’s literature but seeks to develop his/her own opinion on the matter as shown through the first two lines of the poem, “First having read the book of myths, and loaded the camera.” In order to see the work of these women in their full authenticity, the narrator must be prepared to protect his/herself from being influenced by any other opinions and also cut away what is deemed as unnecessary. This is skillfully illustrated by the armor and knife that are taken down to see the wreck. As one seeks the truth, it is easy to be sidetracked. Rich likens this to the difficulty of breathing the further one goes down into the depths. What is important is that a seeker of the wreck takes the first step to explore and stays focused along the way. Rich shows that as long as one starts down the ladder and remembers the purpose for doing so, it is always possible to discover and explore for oneself the wreck that has sunken but has not been forgotten.