The first line of this poem: “Sharded in black, like beetles” introduces the theme of death- which is incredibly strong throughout the poem. ‘’Sharded” means that the women are covered or even encased within a shell to protect them, though as we read on we sense there is an extreme lack of protection for the residents of this home. The fact that they are sharded ‘in black’ represents their closeness to death. Personally, the word “sharded” symbolizes something that is protected- but that it might as well as be protected with a broken sword, as the shards represent something that is in pieces and that is what the reader may automatically think of here. I believe that Plath is saying that these women have lost all the strength of character they had when they were younger- the strength that would allow them to fight. This is basically saying that they have a protective shell, but that it is the shell of death(black) and could shatter at any moment- leaving the women vulnerable to the outside world and to death, personified by Plath as being a “bald head buzzard”. This phrase could also be interpreted as the women being in eternal mourning, as it was expected at that time that those who had lost a loved one whore black during the time of grieving- these women have ‘lost’ all their loved ones, as they never get to see them anymore.
Plath also here uses a very degrading and negative simile, ”like beetles”- dehumanizing the women through a comparision to the small, uncared for creature. Beetles are very shy creatures, who retreat at the first sign of danger to find shelter- which relates to the women’s vulnerability and dependence on others but also contrasting what they do… these women do not run to find shelter, they run to escape it as they gain a greater sense of warmth and freedom outside, despite the fact that the stones on the wall only ‘’keep a little heat’’.
Within the first stanza the women’s weakness/frailty is highlighted, through Plath’s manipulation of literary devices- mainly similes and personification. Plath informs us that the women are ‘’Frail as antique earthenwear’’, highlighting that they have been neglected- just as many antiques are by people who don’t realize their true value. Antiques should be valued for their age and rarity, just as these women deserve care and respect for the wisdom they can offer society… instead, just like when antiques are locked away due to being ‘out of fashion’; these women are seen as a burden, locked away in this care home instead of being under the care of their families.
At the end of this stanza, Plath informs us that old women ‘creep out’ and “prop themselves up against the wall whose stones keep a little heat”. One interpretation of this is that the women are seeking warmth for their bodies to make up for the coldness they feel either literally, the care home being cold and chilling for them or symbolically, to make up for the coldness they might feel inside- due to the treatment they have suffered or the absence of the warmth of their relationship with their loved ones; the personification of the wall through the phrases ‘whose’ and ‘keep’ helps add to this effect, as they are the only ‘companions’ from which the women can feel the ‘warmth’ they so desire and deserve.
The second stanza illustrates how neglected these women are; spending their days knitting- a stereotypical ‘hobby’ of women. They are isolated, the absence of any family, most specifically children, is emphasized in this stanza- where it says: “Sons, daughters, daughters, and sons.” This line has a rather disapproving tone to it, suggesting that Plath considers the actions of these women’s children unfavourable. The listing effect also implies the passage of time- that many generations of women have lived in this home- without a single visitor which has sadly allowed the memories of joyful family life to fade from their minds- shown by the fact that these children are ‘’distant and cold as photos’’. This could also be caused however by the development of dementia, an increasingly common illness that eventually causes severe memory loss. In Modern times, there are over 800,000 people in the Uk suffering from dementia, of which two thirds are women- so whilst less likely in the early 1900’s it is still quite possible that these women have developed the illness and that, sadly, it has meant they cannot remember life with their families- when they were treated with kindness, love and respect. The idea is the strengthened when Plath continues to say that there are “Grandchildren nobody knows”. This evokes extre pathos from the reader as it is incredibly unfair that these old women have been denied the joy of having grandchildren- of looking after them and reminiscing about their own youth. Many grandparents, including my own have told me that their grandchildren are one of the most precious gifts they have received in their entire lives, so why should these old women be denied that opportunity? This again highlights how women were considered inferior within society and that by no means were their rights equal- particularly when they reached old age.
At the end of the stanza, the speaker shows how useless these old women must feel by saying: “Age wears the best black fabric, Rust-red or green as lichens”. By saying this, the speaker is implying that due to their age, these old women no longer own anything to which they can show love or be proud of, as even their best black fabric is stained and tattered- an idea emphasized by the alliteration of the letter b. The assonance used in the description of these clothes- “Rust-red or green as lichens” helps to highlight the speaker’s opinion that becoming old is like a metal rusting- it is disregarded by people as they no longer consider it useful. Lichens are fungal creatures that grow on a variety of trees and plants. They are unwanted due to their lack of usefulness and looks- in a similar way to these women. These old women are seen as old and worn-out and are therefore left unused- just like a piece of rusted metal or tree covered in lichens.
When we read the first line of the final stanza, we see that Plath is now describing what happens in the evening at this home. The fact that Plath has chosen to use the phrase “At owl call” to represent the incoming darkness shows how as night is approaching, these women’s lives are nearing their end. The owl is a nocturnal creature who only comes out in the dark, so their call is almost the call summoning these women into the darkness; summoning them to death. Death, which is a recurrent theme throughout this stanza is personified on line five as ‘that bald-head buzzard’ that “Stalls in halls where lamp wick/ shortens with each breath drawn.” A buzzard is a bird of prey- a scavenging bird, similar to the vulture. Vultures are now for circling their prey- in this case, the buzzard which represents death is simply waiting for all the strength to come out of it’s prey- the women- before it strikes and the unfortunate thing is these old women have no means of escape from this terrible and unjust death.
At the end of this poem, Plath creates a very dark, melancholic feel through the use of the analogy of the lamp wick shortening with each breath drawn. The word breath is repeated here, having first been used on the line ‘’One breath might shiver to bits”. The repetition is here being used to emphasize how important breathing is in maintaining life- if we did not breath, our bodies would cease to function and we would die, therefore reinforcing the idea that each breath these women take might be their last. The analogy of the lamp wick shortening represents how their light of life could go out any minute- the flame representing their life whilst the wick represents their strength… and once their strength runs out, the light of life will be extinguished
