It is interesting to note the relationship between the works of Edvard Munch and Derek Mahon, both entitled Girls on the Bridge. I believe that Mahon’s poem could stand alone due to the fact that it tells a complete story; a story that can be visualized with relative ease. However, the poem is very much a true ekphrastic poem because it not only describes the scene in the painting, but Mahon and Munch seem to be telling the readers and viewers a very similar message. Both author and artist stress the bridge as a transitional tool that the girls use to enter a world and live a life much darker than their previous one. One of the more interesting differences between the two that I noted is the fact that Mahon makes no mention of one of the girls being turned around. He simply says “averted heads” when describing the girls. I took this girl to be of great significance to the painting but I guess Mahon did not feel the same way. Another example of the differentiating views of Munch and Mahon is the description of the girls. Munch’s girls are faceless which is probably meant to be unsettling to those who view the painting and create a sense of dismay. Mahon on the other hand describes the girls as laughing constantly. I enjoyed Mahon’s take because it added to the notion that the girls are very naïve and unaware what is truly happening to them. One last idea that I believe Munch and Mahon shared is that each work is supposed to be a representation of society as whole. I say this because neither the painting or throughout the poem are the girls given any sort of identity as to who they are.
