Edge - Sylvia Plath

    Edge

[alert-success] Edge - Sylvia Plath

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        The horrifying dark poem Edge by Sylvia Plath is about a mother who kills her children before dying herself. This poem was composed just before Plath committed herself because it has autobiographical components that show her own pain and her inner thoughts soon before the act of killing herself. When the woman in this story saw she was without any love, affection, or care, she decided to end her life and the lives of her children. The speaker claims that women are perfecting themselves to the point that they lose themselves. 

             Her dead

            Body wears the smile of accomplishment,

            The illusion of a Greek necessity

        The dead body appears to be grinning with satisfaction because, after all, she has managed to flee the terrifying world. However, this illusion is just essential so that no one will mistakenly think that she is a helpless victim of the world. She has endured numerous difficulties and the betrayal of those close to her who were supposed to provide her adequate love and affection, so for her, being free is an accomplishment and something to be proud of. She wants to take a huge action in front of everyone to make up for the misfortunes and pay for the harm caused by the unfortunate circumstances, but she is unsure about it because she views it as an illusion; all of the smiles and proud movements that follow the action are just a mirage that passes through her toga.   

           Her bare 

           Feet seem to be saying:

           We have come so far, it is over.

    A person with bare feet signifies that she has nothing or no one to travel through life with her. Her only companion has been her foot, which must go through the same obstacles and challenges as the woman. The distraught woman, who has travelled far across thrones and spikes with her sole companion, wants the life game to end. Now that she has achieved her goals, her companion foot is also extremely exhausted because the journey has been a long one.
        Each dead child coiled, a white serpent

    This sentence reveals the autobiographical parts, since Sylvia Plath had actually killed her own child. Before this line, a woman has detailed her sadness, but after this line, the most horrifying following scene of a mother killing her own child is depicted. Here, the youngster is contrasted with a serpent. The mother's choice to bring her child back to her even after the child's death, rather than killing her own child, constitutes the cruelty. As the withering petal shuts after its time, the dead body of the lady tries to bring her child inside, which is how this concept is conveyed in the verse that follows. The dead woman, like the petals of a fading rose, does not want to leave her child alone in the world, but she does want to carry her child once more along with her death. The poet then makes a comparison between the smell of a flower and menstruation.
        The moon has nothing to be sad about,
        Staring from her hood of bone.
        The representation of the moon as being unaware of her surroundings has represented the condition of many dead women, as this kind of circumstance is not new and many women have experienced something similar. However, the poetess asserts that no one is making an effort to speak out on behalf of women because most people behave like the moon and consistently display apathy. There is nothing that can be done for the cause of women because the world is accustomed to this condition.