Poem Analysis - The Arrival Of The Bee Box

A Box of Unsettling Power

Sylvia Plath's "The Arrival Of The Bee Box" is a chilling exploration of power, fear, and control. The poem centers around a speaker who has acquired a box of bees, a purchase that immediately throws her into a state of anxiety and fascination. The tone shifts from detached observation to a more internal struggle with her own authority and mortality. The speaker wrestles with the implications of owning these creatures and the potential chaos they represent.

The Weight of Expectation

While we cannot know definitively Plath's intentions without explicit authorial statements, given Plath's well-documented struggles with mental health and societal expectations placed on women in the mid-20th century, it's plausible to interpret the poem as reflecting those pressures. The "box" could be seen as a metaphor for societal expectations, creative impulses, or even mental illness – something contained yet powerful, demanding to be reckoned with. The speaker’s ambivalence echoes the conflicted feelings Plath often expressed in her work.

Control and the Allure of Authority

One central theme is the struggle for control. The speaker repeatedly emphasizes her ownership ("I am the owner"), attempting to assert dominance over the bees. This is linked to a sense of fear and unease, as she recognizes the potential danger they pose. The act of ordering the box suggests a desire for agency, but the reality of its arrival brings with it a sense of overwhelming responsibility and the temptation to abuse her power. This power dynamic, the allure and fear it generates, creates a central tension in the poem.

The Unknowable Within

The image of the "box" itself is a potent symbol. It represents the unknown, a contained chaos that both fascinates and terrifies the speaker. The description of the bees as "African hands / Minute and shrunk for export" is deeply unsettling and speaks to the exploitation and dehumanization inherent in systems of power. This disturbing image highlights the colonialist undertones present. The box has "no windows" and a "little grid," emphasizing confinement and the speaker's inability to fully understand what she possesses. The phrase "furious Latin" to describe the bee's buzzing sound could be interpreted as something chaotic and difficult to be controlled.

Transformation and Escape

The poem also explores the theme of transformation as a means of evading responsibility. The speaker considers simply "turning into a tree" – escaping her role as "owner" and abandoning the potential conflict. This desire for transformation suggests a yearning for freedom and a rejection of the burdens of power. The images of nature – "the laburnum, its blond colonnades, / And the petticoats of the cherry" – offer a contrasting vision of beauty and passive acceptance, free from the anxieties associated with the bee box. However, this transformation also brings an element of sacrifice.

Final Liberation

In conclusion, "The Arrival Of The Bee Box" is a complex and unsettling exploration of power, fear, and the human desire to control the unknown. The poem uses vivid imagery and a shifting tone to capture the speaker's internal struggle with her newfound authority. The bee box serves as a symbol of both potential and danger, forcing the speaker to confront her own mortality and the responsibility that comes with possessing such a potent force. The final declaration, "Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free," is fraught with ambiguity, leaving the reader to question whether this is a genuine act of liberation or another manifestation of the speaker's desire for control.