Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy”
Sylvia Plath faced many obstacles in her life, including the death of her mother, father troubles, an identity crisis and a failed marriage. Throughout Sylvia Plath’s work, she revealed this troublesome life, as well as her true emotions. Plath wrote “Daddy” before her final suicide attempt and really expressed her state of mind about people in her life during this time. Sylvia Plath’s life experiences and relationships combined with historical references impacted her writing, especially that of “Daddy.”
Sylvia Plath’s many life experiences shaped her into a well-known writer. Luke Ferretter states that “...the majority of Plath’s stories is based on experiences and …show more content…
In “Daddy,” Plath illustrates, “But they pulled me out of the sack, And they stuck me together with glue” (292 l. 61-62). By stating this, Plath is able to portray to her audience that she literally felt like she fell apart from all the suffering she has went through up until this point. Along with other internal conflicts, Plath struggled with relationships with people closest to her. Michelle Hurley discusses how Plath’s final suicide attempt was ironic in relation to her father because of his Nazi involvement and the killing of thousands of Jews by gas. Plath, ironically, killed herself by basically putting her head in an oven and locking the doors of the kitchen and turning the stove on and letting the gas kill her (35). Plath’s final suicide attempt is evidence that her father affected her so tremendously that she took matters into her own hands, and she ended her suffering. Through Sylvia Plath’s work, she reveals that her conflicts with the people she was closest to affect her, and she also demonstrates how those conflicts influence her …show more content…
Roger Platizky explains how Plath is psychologically trapped by her father and husband and how Plath embraces that through many of her poems (105-108), causing readers to grasp the mental suffering Plath was going through. While embracing the feeling of being trapped, Plath states, “And get back, back, back to you” (292 l. 59). Roger Platizky also mentions how she wants to be psychologically free from her father and husband (105-108). Platizky emphasizes how much of a hold Sylvia Plath’s father and husband really had on her, broadening her mental struggle. Moreover, Egeland says, “She at certain times identified husband with father…,” (159) revealing Plath’s sense of hatred toward both her father and husband and further proving the opinion of Plath’s relationship issues did in fact influence her writing. An example of Plath identifying with her father and husband is when she declares, “ If I’ve killed one man I’ve killed two” (292 l. 71). Plath not only feels trapped by her father and husband, but also haunted by them. By writing, “The vampire who said he was you And drank my blood for a year, Seven years, if you want to know. Daddy, you can lie back down now,” Plath reveals that she is haunted by her father’s ghost, and Plath reveals that her husband drained her by “sucking her blood” and taking her life away(292 l. 73-75). Again, knowing that Plath felt pursued by her father and husband,
Sylvia Plath faced many obstacles in her life, including the death of her mother, father troubles, an identity crisis and a failed marriage. Throughout Sylvia Plath’s work, she revealed this troublesome life, as well as her true emotions. Plath wrote “Daddy” before her final suicide attempt and really expressed her state of mind about people in her life during this time. Sylvia Plath’s life experiences and relationships combined with historical references impacted her writing, especially that of “Daddy.”
Sylvia Plath’s many life experiences shaped her into a well-known writer. Luke Ferretter states that “...the majority of Plath’s stories is based on experiences and …show more content…
In “Daddy,” Plath illustrates, “But they pulled me out of the sack, And they stuck me together with glue” (292 l. 61-62). By stating this, Plath is able to portray to her audience that she literally felt like she fell apart from all the suffering she has went through up until this point. Along with other internal conflicts, Plath struggled with relationships with people closest to her. Michelle Hurley discusses how Plath’s final suicide attempt was ironic in relation to her father because of his Nazi involvement and the killing of thousands of Jews by gas. Plath, ironically, killed herself by basically putting her head in an oven and locking the doors of the kitchen and turning the stove on and letting the gas kill her (35). Plath’s final suicide attempt is evidence that her father affected her so tremendously that she took matters into her own hands, and she ended her suffering. Through Sylvia Plath’s work, she reveals that her conflicts with the people she was closest to affect her, and she also demonstrates how those conflicts influence her …show more content…
Roger Platizky explains how Plath is psychologically trapped by her father and husband and how Plath embraces that through many of her poems (105-108), causing readers to grasp the mental suffering Plath was going through. While embracing the feeling of being trapped, Plath states, “And get back, back, back to you” (292 l. 59). Roger Platizky also mentions how she wants to be psychologically free from her father and husband (105-108). Platizky emphasizes how much of a hold Sylvia Plath’s father and husband really had on her, broadening her mental struggle. Moreover, Egeland says, “She at certain times identified husband with father…,” (159) revealing Plath’s sense of hatred toward both her father and husband and further proving the opinion of Plath’s relationship issues did in fact influence her writing. An example of Plath identifying with her father and husband is when she declares, “ If I’ve killed one man I’ve killed two” (292 l. 71). Plath not only feels trapped by her father and husband, but also haunted by them. By writing, “The vampire who said he was you And drank my blood for a year, Seven years, if you want to know. Daddy, you can lie back down now,” Plath reveals that she is haunted by her father’s ghost, and Plath reveals that her husband drained her by “sucking her blood” and taking her life away(292 l. 73-75). Again, knowing that Plath felt pursued by her father and husband,