Poem Analysis - Candles

An Ode to Romanticism and its Discontents

Sylvia Plath's "Candles" is a meditation on nostalgia, the allure of the past, and the encroaching present. The poem initially presents candles as embodiments of romantic ideals, but this idealized view gradually gives way to a more critical and complex perspective. The tone shifts from one of wistful appreciation to a recognition of the artificiality and ultimately, the obsolescence, of these romantic sentiments. The poem is infused with a melancholic awareness of time's passage and the speaker's own mortality.

Nostalgia as a Double-Edged Sword

A central theme of the poem is the complex relationship between the speaker and nostalgia. The candles themselves are presented as symbols of a bygone era, specifically the Edwardian period. Plath evokes this past through imagery like "false, Edwardian sentiments" and the recollection of her grandmother's encounter with Franz Josef. This evokes a sense of grand European tradition and formality. However, the poem acknowledges the artifice inherent in such nostalgia. The "false" sentiments suggest that this romanticized view of the past is not entirely authentic, but rather a constructed ideal. The speaker is both drawn to and repelled by this idealized past, recognizing its beauty while also understanding its limitations.

The Impermanence of Beauty and the Inevitability of Change

The theme of impermanence is woven throughout the poem, highlighted by the candles' gradual consumption and decay. The candles are described as "drafty ephemerids," emphasizing their fleeting existence. This connects to the speaker's own anxieties about aging and mortality. The line, "In twenty years I shall be retrograde / As these drafty ephemerids," directly links the fading candles to the speaker's own sense of decline. The image of the "spilt tears" of wax solidifying into "cloud and dull to pearls" further underscores the transformation from vibrancy to a muted, less perfect state. The beauty is there, but it is fading, imperfect, and tinged with sadness.

Light and Shadow: Symbols of Illusion and Reality

The poem uses light and shadow as recurring symbols to explore the contrast between illusion and reality. The candlelight creates a specific, selective perspective, ignoring "a whole family of prominent objects" to focus on the "eye / In its hollow of shadows." This suggests that romanticism, like candlelight, casts certain things into shadow while illuminating others, creating a partial and potentially distorted view of the world. Daylight, in contrast, is presented as "more judicious," offering a "fair hearing" to all things. The shadows also represent the unseen, the unspoken, and the darker aspects of life that romanticism often overlooks. The poem questions whether the romanticized view of life, like candlelight, is ultimately a form of illusion that obscures a more complex and perhaps less palatable reality.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, "Candles" is a poignant exploration of nostalgia, mortality, and the tension between romantic ideals and the realities of the present. Plath uses the simple image of candles to evoke a sense of a fading past, a past that is both alluring and ultimately unsustainable. The poem's power lies in its ability to acknowledge the beauty of romanticism while also recognizing its limitations and its inherent artificiality. The poem ends with the speaker contemplating her infant child, questioning how to convey any meaningful truths in a world where the past is constantly fading and the future is uncertain. The christening image at the end reminds us of the passing of time and the cyclical nature of life, a cycle where even the brightest lights eventually burn down to shadows.