Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Bestiary U.S.A.: Star-Nosed Mole" is a poem that explores themes of death, futility, and the peculiar beauty found in the overlooked and the strange. The poem’s subject, the star-nosed mole, is portrayed with a mixture of curiosity, empathy, and sorrow, as Sexton reflects on the creature’s life and untimely death. Through vivid imagery and a tone that oscillates between tenderness and resignation, Sexton uses the mole as a metaphor for struggle, endurance, and the tragic end that sometimes follows relentless effort.

The poem opens with the intriguing phrase "Mole, angel-dog of the pit," immediately setting the mole apart as a creature both revered and pitied. The mole is described as an "angel-dog," suggesting a being that is both divine and loyal, yet confined to the "pit," a dark and oppressive space. This duality—angelic yet trapped—underscores the mole’s existence as one of tireless labor and obscurity. The mole’s work is relentless, "digging six miles a night," a testament to its perseverance and the harsh conditions it endures. The "sooty suit" it wears symbolizes its connection to the earth and the dark, grimy world it inhabits, where it toils endlessly, unseen by most.

Sexton’s inquiry, "what's up with you in your sooty suit, / where's your kitchen at?" humanizes the mole, as if trying to understand its motivations and needs. This question also highlights the absurdity of its situation—despite all its hard work, what does the mole have to show for it? The "kitchen" metaphor suggests that the mole’s life, like human life, revolves around basic survival, yet the mole’s efforts seem almost futile given its eventual fate.

The poem then shifts to a scene of discovery, where the mole is found "at the edge of our pond, / drowned, numb drainer of weeds." The mole, a creature of the earth, has ventured into an environment where it cannot survive, resulting in its tragic death. The image of the mole with "insects floating in [its] belly, / grubs like little fetuses bobbing" evokes a sense of pathos and grim beauty. These small details emphasize the mole’s role in the natural cycle of life and death, where it consumes and is ultimately consumed by its environment. The reference to "grubs like little fetuses" highlights the innocence and vulnerability inherent in all life, even in something as small and unassuming as a mole.

Sexton’s focus on the mole’s "dear face with its fifth hand," a reference to the star-shaped nose that makes this species unique, invites the reader to consider the mole’s individuality and strangeness. This "fifth hand," an extraordinary sensory organ, is ironically useless in the mole’s final moments. The poet’s rhetorical question, "doesn't it know it's the end of the war?" introduces a poignant irony: the mole, a creature of instinct and survival, is unaware that its struggles have ended in defeat. The mention of "the war" can be interpreted as a metaphor for the mole’s constant battle for survival, which, like all wars, has a devastating and inevitable conclusion.

The poem’s tone shifts to one of mourning and a desire for revival in the lines, "Mole dog, / I wish your mother would wake you up." This wish reflects a longing for the mole to be spared its tragic fate, to be called back to life by a mother’s care, much like a child. The reference to the "Pieta," with the mole "lying there...wearing your cross on your nose," deepens the religious and sacrificial imagery. The Pieta, a sculpture of Mary cradling the dead Christ, evokes themes of loss, sacrifice, and maternal grief. The mole, like Christ, is portrayed as a martyr—its unique nose, a "cross," symbolizes the burden it has carried throughout its life, a mark of both its identity and its doom.

"Bestiary U.S.A.: Star-Nosed Mole" is a meditation on the futility of existence and the often-overlooked beauty in the lives of even the most humble creatures. Sexton’s portrayal of the mole as a diligent, misunderstood being trapped in a cycle of struggle and eventual death reflects a broader commentary on the human condition. The poem invites readers to consider the quiet tragedies that unfold in the natural world, and by extension, the unnoticed sorrows and sacrifices in human life. Through her vivid imagery and empathetic tone, Sexton elevates the star-nosed mole from a mere curiosity of nature to a poignant symbol of perseverance, suffering, and the inevitable end that awaits all living things.

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