Step 1: Restated theme:
The poem uses embroidery as a symbol of suppressed self-expression under an oppressive marriage.
Step 2: Central idea:
It conveys that while Aunt Jennifer herself remains "terrified" and "ringed with ordeals" in life, the tigers she creates embody the courage and freedom denied to her, and her art will outlast her personal suffering — a quiet critique of the constraints traditional marriage places on women.