Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Making a Living" presents a vivid retelling of the biblical story of Jonah, framing it as a profound meditation on the nature of survival, identity, and the commodification of personal suffering. Through this retelling, Sexton explores how individuals, much like Jonah, navigate the dark and confining spaces of their own existential struggles and how these experiences are then repurposed or exploited in the broader marketplace of life.

The poem opens with a direct comparison between Jonah’s living and the speaker’s own, suggesting that both derive their sustenance from a place of darkness and entrapment. The belly of the whale, an image rich with symbolic meaning, becomes a metaphor for the inner spaces where one’s identity, memories, and existential fears reside. Sexton uses this metaphor to delve into how these internal struggles are integral to the process of making a living, not just in a literal sense but in terms of defining one’s existence.

Jonah’s initial reaction upon entering the whale is striking. Instead of fighting or despairing, he accepts his fate with a peculiar attentiveness. The description of him sitting “like a defendant at his own trial” captures the introspective nature of his ordeal. He is both the accused and the observer, trying to make sense of his situation. This self-awareness is crucial in the poem, as it reflects the broader human experience of confronting one’s mortality and the inevitable losses that come with it.

Sexton further deepens this exploration by illustrating Jonah’s attempts to hold onto his past. The image of Jonah trying to count his father’s money or kiss his mother’s eyes, only to have these efforts washed away, symbolizes the futility of clinging to what once was. The poem poignantly portrays how the material and sentimental aspects of life are ultimately transient and can be stripped away, leaving one vulnerable and exposed. Jonah’s decision to shed his clothing, to sit “like an old-fashioned bather in his undershirt and drawers,” signifies a return to a more primitive, essential self, stripped of all societal trappings.

The turning point in the poem occurs when Jonah, having reconciled with his circumstances, declares, “This is my death, and it will profit me to understand it.” This statement highlights the transformative potential of embracing one’s mortality. By making a mental note of each detail, Jonah seeks to derive meaning from his experience, to understand the depths of his existence. It is at this point that the whale, having no more use for him, vomits him back into the sea.

The transition from the dark, interior world of the whale to the bright, exterior world is jarring. The “shocking blue sky,” the “shocking white boats,” and the sun like a “crazed eyeball” underscore the disorienting nature of returning to life after confronting death. Jonah’s return to the world is not triumphant but rather alienating, as if the outside world is now a foreign and overwhelming place.

In the final lines, Sexton introduces a biting commentary on the commercialization of suffering. Jonah’s story, with all its strange and intimate details, is hammered up in the marketplace and sold repeatedly. This metaphor speaks to the ways in which personal trauma and existential struggles can be commodified, turned into a spectacle for public consumption. The repetition of “sold him and sold him and sold him” underscores the relentless exploitation of his story, reducing his profound experience to a mere commodity.

The poem concludes with the speaker’s identification with Jonah’s fate: “My death the same.” This identification suggests that the speaker, too, has experienced a similar commodification of personal suffering. It is a powerful statement on how the intimate and often painful experiences that shape one’s life can be trivialized, repackaged, and sold, stripping them of their original meaning and reducing them to mere currency in the marketplace of life.

"Making a Living" is a profound exploration of the human condition, examining how individuals confront and make sense of their mortality, and how these deeply personal experiences are often exploited in the public sphere. Through the retelling of Jonah’s story, Sexton offers a meditation on the commodification of suffering and the alienation that can result from the public’s consumption of one’s most private struggles. The poem is both a lament and a critique, capturing the tension between the inner world of personal experience and the outer world that seeks to profit from it.

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