Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Pull" by Sharon Olds is a poignant exploration of the physical and emotional toll of illness, the longing for connection with a deceased parent, and the intricate dynamics of life and death. The poem intricately weaves themes of physical decline, familial bonds, and the haunting nature of grief and memory.

The poem begins with a stark description of the speaker's physical decline due to the flu. As she gets "thinner and thinner," her weight regresses through various life stages, from college to high school, junior high, and beyond, symbolically retracing her life back towards "childhood weight, birth weight, conception." This downward journey suggests a return to a primal state, a stripping away of the layers of adulthood and experience.

In her reflection, the speaker confronts a disturbing but darkly humorous parallel: her thinness mirrors her father's cadaver. This comparison is not just physical but also deeply psychological, as the speaker grapples with the idea of her own mortality and the bond with her deceased father. The phrase "flirting with my father" is jarring, evoking an uncomfortable intimacy with death. The speaker describes feeling "big joints slide under the loose skin," an unsettling image that emphasizes the emaciation of illness and the closeness to death.

The speaker acknowledges that her friends do not find this "cakewalk of the skeletons" funny, highlighting a disconnect between her internal experience and the external world's perceptions. This isolation is underscored by her inability to explain the allure of this morbid connection to her father. The speaker reveals a profound desire to reunite with her father, expressing a wish to "lie down with him" both in life and death. This longing reflects a deep-seated need for comfort and understanding, perhaps an unresolved aspect of their relationship.

The poem shifts to a tender memory of her father during his final weeks. The act of feeding him, "slip[ping] the spoon of heavy cream into his mouth," becomes a moment of intimate connection. The physical sensation of feeding him, feeling "the suction of his tongue, his palate, his head, his body, his death pulling at my hand," is a powerful depiction of the pull of death. It symbolizes the inescapable draw of mortality and the profound impact of witnessing a loved one's decline.

The speaker reflects on her father's ambiguous feelings towards her life, mentioning only two instances where he "urged [her] to live." The first is the moment of conception, a metaphorical pull into life. The second is a small act of care during her illness, when he brought her "ten tiny Pyrex bowls with ten leftovers down in the bottoms." These gestures, though small, are imbued with significance, representing her father's quiet acts of love and concern.

"The Pull" delves into the complex interplay between life, death, and the lingering presence of a deceased parent. Sharon Olds captures the speaker's simultaneous fear and fascination with death, her yearning for closeness with her father, and the physical reality of illness. The poem's exploration of weight loss as a metaphor for the approach of death and the intricate details of the father-daughter relationship create a rich tapestry of emotion and reflection. Through vivid imagery and introspective narrative, Olds invites the reader to consider the deep connections that persist beyond death and the ways in which they shape our understanding of life and loss.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...