Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Dreaming the Breasts" is an evocative and haunting exploration of the complex relationship between a mother and daughter, using vivid and surreal imagery to convey the deep, primal connections, as well as the pain and loss that accompany this bond. The poem delves into themes of dependency, nourishment, separation, and the ultimate inevitability of death, offering a raw and intimate portrayal of the emotional landscape that defines the mother-daughter relationship.

The poem opens with the speaker addressing her mother directly, portraying her as a "strange goddess face / above my milk home." This depiction elevates the mother to a divine, almost otherworldly status, positioning her as the source of life and sustenance. The "milk home" is a metaphor for the breast, which serves as both the physical and emotional foundation of the speaker’s early life. The idea of the mother as a "delicate asylum" suggests a place of safety and refuge, yet one that is fragile and impermanent. The speaker admits, "I ate you up. All my need took / you down like a meal," acknowledging the intense, consuming nature of her dependence on her mother. The imagery of consumption is visceral, conveying the all-encompassing need that defines the child’s relationship with the mother.

The speaker’s memories of her mother are recalled through dreamlike sequences: "What you gave / I remember in a dream: / the freckled arms binding me, / the laugh somewhere over my woolly hat, / the blood fingers tying my shoe." These images are tender and intimate, capturing moments of care and connection. The "freckled arms" and "blood fingers" evoke a sense of warmth and life, while the mention of the mother’s laugh suggests joy and affection, even as it exists just out of the speaker’s reach, "somewhere over" her head. The maternal act of tying a shoe, a small but significant gesture of care, highlights the nurturing role the mother plays in the child’s life.

However, this nurturing image is contrasted with the more unsettling depiction of the mother’s breasts: "the breasts hanging like two bats / and then darting at me, / bending me down." The comparison of the breasts to bats introduces a sense of unease and perhaps fear. Bats, often associated with darkness and the night, suggest something lurking, something not entirely benign. The breasts, which are sources of nourishment, are also depicted as aggressive, "darting" at the speaker, exerting a force that "bends" her down. This duality reflects the complex nature of the mother-daughter relationship—one that is nurturing but also, at times, overwhelming and even oppressive.

The poem then shifts to the present, where the speaker reflects on the lasting impact of her mother’s breasts: "The breasts I knew at midnight / beat like the sea in me now." The imagery of the sea, with its powerful and rhythmic motion, conveys the enduring presence of the mother’s influence, which continues to resonate within the speaker’s psyche. The reference to "midnight" suggests a time of darkness and introspection, when these memories and emotions rise to the surface.

In a particularly striking image, the speaker describes putting "bees in my mouth / to keep from eating," an act of self-punishment or denial. The bees symbolize pain and danger, suggesting that the speaker has internalized her mother’s influence in a way that is both painful and self-destructive. Yet, despite this effort, it "did you no good," implying that the speaker’s struggles did not ultimately protect or save her mother.

The poem’s tone darkens further as it recounts the mother’s death: "In the end they cut off your breasts / and milk poured from them / into the surgeon's hand / and he embraced them." This image is both grotesque and poignant, capturing the tragedy of the mother’s illness and the invasive, dehumanizing nature of the medical procedures she endured. The milk, a symbol of life and nourishment, pouring out in such a context, emphasizes the loss of vitality and the end of the nurturing bond. The surgeon’s "embrace" of the severed breasts introduces a disturbing intimacy, highlighting the complex emotions surrounding the loss of the mother.

In a final, surreal act, the speaker takes the breasts from the surgeon and "planted them," a symbolic gesture of attempting to preserve or give new life to what has been lost. This act of planting suggests a desire to reconnect with the mother, to keep her memory alive in some form, despite the physical separation caused by death.

The poem concludes with the speaker placing a "padlock" on her mother, now described as "dear dead human." The padlock symbolizes both a finality and a form of protection, as if the speaker is trying to safeguard her mother’s memory or essence from further harm or decay. The "great bells" and "dear white ponies" that "go galloping, galloping, / wherever you are" evoke a sense of freedom and movement, as if the mother, in death, has been released from the physical confines of her body and the suffering it endured. These images convey a mixture of sorrow, reverence, and a desire for the mother’s spirit to find peace and liberation.

"Dreaming the Breasts" is a deeply emotional and layered exploration of the mother-daughter relationship, using surreal and often unsettling imagery to convey the intense and sometimes conflicting emotions that define this bond. Sexton’s poem captures the duality of the mother as both a source of life and a figure of overwhelming influence, whose presence continues to shape the speaker even after death. Through this exploration, the poem speaks to the universal experiences of dependency, loss, and the lingering impact of those we love, making it a powerful meditation on the complexities of familial love and the process of mourning.

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