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Sylvia PlathA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The 20th-century feminist Catherine MacKinnon uses the example of sex to highlight the objectification of women. In MacKinnon’s formula, when a man has sex with a woman, the man is the “subject” (the human), and the woman is the “object” (not human). Plath’s poem engages with the objectification motif, complicating the beliefs of MacKinnon and other feminist thinkers.
The motif supports the theme of The Allure of Death, as part of death’s attraction is the freedom from human feeling. Objection represents a relief. The woman’s feet seemingly say, “We have come so far, it is over” (Line 8). The woman, now dead, is glad that they’re not subjected to the human condition. The act of becoming an object is framed as a form of liberation, suggesting that in death, the woman transcends the expectations and limitations imposed upon her by society. Countering the ideas developed by MacKinnon and others, being a woman doesn’t automatically make a person an object. The woman must use Competition and Hard Work to turn herself into an object. Whether through fate or free will, she becomes “perfected” and joins the ranks of classic literary figures and myths. In “Edge,” objectification is illustrious, not an overt sign of inferiority or oppression. This motif also reflects Plath’s broader critique of societal standards for women, where perfection and objectification are intertwined.
The poem turns the woman into a symbol of a rose, and the garden represents an antagonistic atmosphere. The speaker says the rose closes its petals when the garden “stiffens and odors bleed / From the sweet, deep throats of the night flower” (Lines 15-16). The diction is sensuous, and the emphasis on smells and bodily fluids (blood) suggests secretion and some type of sexual activity. The amorousness is not inherently revolting: It’s “sweet” (Line 16), so the dead woman must resist the seductive pleasures.
The garden is antagonistic in its liveliness. It is fertile, producing sounds and smells. As the woman seeks death and objectification, such behavior becomes anathema. The woman doesn’t want to be a part of any kind of regenerative, animated activity, so she opts to “close” (Line 14) her children back into her body as a protective measure. The lush garden is at odds with the woman. She wants to ascend into objecthood and doesn’t want the garden to pull her or her children back into the tempestuous environment of fecund life. This symbol underscores the tension between life and death, growth and decay. The woman’s desire to retreat from the garden’s fertility reflects a deeper rejection of societal expectations for women to be nurturers. The hostile garden becomes a metaphor for the pressures placed on women to conform to traditional roles. By folding her children back into her body, the woman subverts these expectations, choosing stillness over creation.
Plath uses personification to give the moon human feelings, so the moon doesn’t feel “sad” (Line 17) about the death of the woman. The “hood” (Line 18) and “crackle” (Line 20) take the personification further, turning the moon into a symbol of a specific type of person or creature—a witch. The poem traffics in stereotypical witch imagery. The “hood” links to the hood or hat that witches are depicted as wearing, and the “crackle” connects to the unnerving sound of a witch’s laugh, or cackle.
Witches don’t possess a generous reputation, and the speaker doesn’t present the moon/witch as caring. The moon/witch is unimpressed by the death of the woman and doggedly carries on with their nocturnal activities. The dead woman represents perfection and elevation, but the witch-like moon suggests the dead woman symbolizes an ordinary occurrence. Death occurs constantly, and it’s not something that upsets a witch, who’s “used” (Line 19) to the unsettling aspects of life.
The moon as a witch figure also introduces the idea of female power that is cold, detached, and indifferent. While the dead woman’s perfection seems rooted in submission and objectification, the witch-like moon embodies an autonomous, unyielding presence. This contrast highlights different facets of femininity and female agency, suggesting that while the dead woman has embraced passivity, the moon/witch remains active and unaffected, a symbol of resilience in the face of death.
By Sylvia Plath
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