Poem Analysis - Who

Introduction: A Descent into Detachment

Sylvia Plath's "Who" is a chilling exploration of disconnection and identity loss, steeped in decay and a yearning for something beyond the stifling present. The poem moves through images of autumnal rot and sterile confinement, reflecting a speaker adrift in a landscape both physical and psychological. A pervasive sense of bleakness dominates, yet flickers of remembered beauty and a desperate plea for connection hint at a deeper well of feeling beneath the surface. The poem's journey is a descent into a kind of emotional and intellectual paralysis, punctuated by moments of sharp, unsettling clarity.

The Bitter Harvest: Theme of Decay and Stagnation

One of the poem's central themes is decay and stagnation, illustrated through vivid imagery of the natural world in decline. The opening lines, "The month of flowering's finished. The fruit's in, / Eaten or rotten," establish a landscape where life's bounty has either been consumed or spoiled. This theme is reinforced throughout the poem by descriptions of "fusty" sheds, "rusty tusks," and "mouldering heads," all suggesting a world where vitality has given way to deterioration. The speaker identifies with this decay, describing her heart as a "stopped geranium," a powerful symbol of emotional dormancy. This pervasive sense of rot and inertia contributes to the poem's overall mood of despair and hopelessness.

Lost in the Asylum: Theme of Confinement and Madness

The theme of confinement, both physical and mental, is also prominent. The "shed" and "these halls" suggest institutional spaces, perhaps an asylum, where the speaker feels trapped. The line "These halls are full of women who think they are birds" alludes to madness and the distortion of reality. The images of "inmates who don't hibernate" and "cabbageheads: wormy purple, silver-glaze" evoke a grotesque and unsettling atmosphere of forced confinement and mental instability. The speaker's feeling of being a "root, a stone, an owl pellet" reinforces this sense of being trapped and inanimate, stripped of agency and vitality. This theme explores the devastating effects of isolation and the loss of self within restrictive environments.

Echoes of a Mother: Theme of Yearning for Connection

Amidst the decay and confinement, a desperate yearning for connection, specifically with the speaker's mother, emerges. The lines "Mother, you are the one mouth / I would be a tongue to. Mother of otherness / Eat me," are intensely provocative and revealing. They suggest a desire for complete fusion with the maternal figure, a surrendering of self in exchange for belonging and understanding. The mother is portrayed as both a source of nourishment and a figure of engulfment ("Wastebasket gaper, shadow of doorways"), reflecting the complex and potentially destructive nature of maternal bonds. This plea for connection underscores the speaker's profound sense of isolation and her desperate need for a nurturing and accepting presence.

Symbols of Memory and Trauma: Recurring Images

Several recurring symbols contribute to the poem's haunting atmosphere. The image of "mouths" is particularly striking, appearing in various contexts – from the initial description of the speaker as "all mouth" to the "purple and red mouths" of the enormous flowers. This recurring image could symbolize a desperate hunger for experience, communication, or perhaps a primal, devouring force. The flowers themselves, initially beautiful and evocative of childhood memory, later become oppressive and overwhelming. The phrase "The hoops of blackberry stems made me cry" suggests a moment of intense emotional pain triggered by a seemingly innocuous object, hinting at a past trauma that continues to haunt the speaker. These symbols, like fragments of a shattered mirror, reflect the speaker's fragmented identity and her struggle to reconcile the past with the present.

Final Insight: An Unsettling Portrait of Disconnection

"Who" is a powerful and disturbing poem that explores the themes of decay, confinement, and the desperate search for connection in a world devoid of meaning. Plath masterfully employs vivid imagery and unsettling metaphors to create a portrait of a speaker alienated from herself and her surroundings. The poem leaves the reader with a sense of unease, prompting reflection on the fragility of identity and the devastating consequences of disconnection. Is the mother a symbol of hope or of a smothering past? The poem's power lies in its ambiguity and its ability to evoke a profound sense of despair and longing, leaving the reader to grapple with the complexities of the speaker's inner turmoil.