Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's "Doors, Doors, Doors: 3. Young Girl" captures the clandestine and complex emotions of a love affair carried out in secrecy and shadow. The poem delves into the dynamics of forbidden love, guilt, and the need for connection amidst the constraints of societal expectations and personal history. Through vivid imagery and a narrative style that feels both intimate and confessional, Sexton explores the intense emotions and the sense of escape that such an affair can provide, while also acknowledging the underlying pain and the weight of past traumas that both lovers carry with them.

The poem opens with a direct address to the lover: "Dear love, as simple as some distant evil / we walk a little drunk up these three flights." The comparison of love to a "distant evil" suggests that this relationship, while deeply felt, is also fraught with moral ambiguity and societal judgment. The act of walking "a little drunk" up the stairs reflects the sense of disorientation and the intoxicating blend of fear and excitement that accompanies their secret meetings. The setting of the affair—a modest apartment where a Dufy print is tacked above an army cot—underscores the contrast between the mundanity of their surroundings and the intensity of their emotions.

The "thin apartment doors on the way up will / not tell on us," suggests that the lovers are conscious of being observed but also feel a sense of security in their anonymity. These doors, symbols of the boundaries between private lives, represent the thin line between exposure and secrecy. The lovers assert their rights to this private world they have created, a world where they can momentarily escape from the realities of their other lives: "we have our rights / and let them see the sandwiches and wine we bought." The simplicity of their meal contrasts sharply with the complexities of their emotions and the pain they are both trying to escape.

Sexton then delves into the painful backgrounds of both lovers: "we do not explain my husband's insane abuse / and we do not say why your wild-haired wife has fled / or that my father opened like a walnut and then was dead." These lines reveal the deep traumas that each has endured, traumas that they have not fully processed or shared. The reference to the husband's "insane abuse" and the lover's "wild-haired wife" who has fled suggests that both have been deeply wounded by their past relationships. The metaphor of the father who "opened like a walnut and then was dead" is a striking image of sudden loss and the vulnerability that death exposes, adding another layer of emotional complexity to the speaker's character.

In the midst of these confessions, the lovers find solace in each other: "Your palms fold over me like knees. Love is the only use." This intimate image conveys a sense of protection, as if the act of folding hands over each other creates a private sanctuary where they can find comfort and connection. The declaration that "Love is the only use" suggests that, despite the turmoil in their lives, love is the one thing that gives them purpose and meaning, even if it is temporary and fraught with complications.

The poem continues to paint a picture of their secretive meetings: "Both a little drunk in the middle afternoon / with the forgotten smart of August on our skin / we hold hands as if we still were children." The heat of August and the reference to holding hands like children evokes a sense of nostalgia and innocence, a fleeting moment where the complexities of adult life are momentarily forgotten. Yet, the setting of their meetings in the "dark halls" filled with "papers and pails" and "twelve coats of rubbish of someone else's dim life" reminds the reader of the reality they cannot fully escape. These details of the physical surroundings reflect the layered lives they are both trying to navigate, lives that are cluttered with the debris of past experiences and responsibilities.

As they climb the stairs, the speaker acknowledges the other inhabitants of the building: "the dear old man who always asks us in / and the one who sews like a wasp and will not budge." These characters, while peripheral, add depth to the world Sexton creates, highlighting the contrast between the routine lives of others and the secret, intense passion that the lovers share. The old man’s invitation and the seamstress's stubbornness serve as reminders of the ordinary world outside the lovers’ private sphere, a world that they must eventually return to.

The poem concludes with a defiant assertion of the speaker's love: "Tell them need is an excuse for love. Tell them need prevails. / Tell them I remake and smooth your bed and am your wife." The repetition of "Tell them" suggests a need to justify the affair, both to themselves and to the unseen judgment of society. The idea that "need is an excuse for love" speaks to the deep emotional and physical hunger that drives them together, a need that transcends conventional moral boundaries. The final line, where the speaker declares herself as the lover’s wife, despite the reality of their situation, is a powerful assertion of the significance and legitimacy she assigns to their relationship.

"Doors, Doors, Doors: 3. Young Girl" is a vivid and emotionally charged portrayal of an affair marked by both passion and pain. Sexton captures the complexity of love that is born out of need and desperation, the moments of escape it provides, and the inescapable reality of the world outside their private meetings. The poem is a meditation on the ways in which love can both heal and complicate, offering solace in one breath and deepening the sense of loss in the next. Through the narrative of these secretive encounters, Sexton explores the tangled web of love, need, and the human desire for connection, even when it comes at a cost.

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