In the poem “You All Know the Story of the Other Woman”, Anne Sexton denounces the falsity and unequal treatment in affairs as well as one’s inability to move on as time passes. The mistress is overly immersed in the relationship while her lover plays around with her, leading her on and eventually leaving her in utter despair. Sexton accomplishes illustrating this sad tale through using a sorrowful and bitter tone, the major symbol of a dollhouse, and constant references to time.
Sexton’s overall tone in this poem is the absolute opposite of hope. The poem begins with the start of the affair between the man and the woman but foreshadows the unhappy ending with the line “But it’s a bad translation” (5). Many words she chooses such as “bad” and “so-so” greatly express the wrong of the situation (5, 9). Her bitterness is expressed towards the lover however, as she portrays the man to be careless and disrespectful. Sexton’s anger can be felt through aggressive and blameful lines such as “She is his selection, part time” and “Look, when it is over he places her/like a phone, back on the hook” (15, 18). She is trying to show that the man treats his mistress as a pure physical possession and leaves her hanging, ready to use again when desired. …show more content…
As the affair occurs at night, daylight swiftly comes and takes away the previous value of the woman, indicating why “Daylight is nobody’s friend” (6). The woman wants to hold onto the excitement of the former night, with the following line comparing daylight to a “brassy lamp” (8). The use of “flashes” and “brassy” indicate intrusiveness and her distaste of the new bringing of light. Furthermore, as the affair comes to an end, the man is getting ready to return to his home and by “turning the clock back an hour”, it is like he is disregarding all previous events as if nothing ever happened (11), truly expressing Sexton’s disgust towards the emotional imbalance between lover and
Sexton’s overall tone in this poem is the absolute opposite of hope. The poem begins with the start of the affair between the man and the woman but foreshadows the unhappy ending with the line “But it’s a bad translation” (5). Many words she chooses such as “bad” and “so-so” greatly express the wrong of the situation (5, 9). Her bitterness is expressed towards the lover however, as she portrays the man to be careless and disrespectful. Sexton’s anger can be felt through aggressive and blameful lines such as “She is his selection, part time” and “Look, when it is over he places her/like a phone, back on the hook” (15, 18). She is trying to show that the man treats his mistress as a pure physical possession and leaves her hanging, ready to use again when desired. …show more content…
As the affair occurs at night, daylight swiftly comes and takes away the previous value of the woman, indicating why “Daylight is nobody’s friend” (6). The woman wants to hold onto the excitement of the former night, with the following line comparing daylight to a “brassy lamp” (8). The use of “flashes” and “brassy” indicate intrusiveness and her distaste of the new bringing of light. Furthermore, as the affair comes to an end, the man is getting ready to return to his home and by “turning the clock back an hour”, it is like he is disregarding all previous events as if nothing ever happened (11), truly expressing Sexton’s disgust towards the emotional imbalance between lover and