Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's poem "The Addict" is a harrowing exploration of addiction, where the poet candidly exposes her dependence on pills, intertwining themes of death, ritual, and self-destruction. Through the poem, Sexton navigates the dark recesses of her psyche, shedding light on the compulsions and despair that accompany addiction.

The poem opens with a stark portrayal of the speaker's nightly ritual, referring to herself as both "sleepmonger" and "deathmonger." These titles emphasize her role in orchestrating her own gradual demise, as she describes the ritualistic act of consuming "capsules in my palms each night, / eight at a time." The reference to "sweet pharmaceutical bottles" underscores the perverse allure of the pills, which offer both a temporary escape and a slow path to death. The speaker admits to being the "queen of this condition," indicating her mastery and resignation to the addictive cycle, which she perceives as both a skill and a curse.

As the poem progresses, the speaker acknowledges the label of "addict" that others have placed upon her, expressing a sense of frustration and defiance. The repetition of "Why!" underscores her exasperation with the question, as though the answer should be self-evident. Her response, "Don't they know / that I promised to die!" reveals the deep-seated despair that fuels her addiction. The pills, in this context, become both a method of self-destruction and a means of maintaining control over her own death, which she describes as "keeping in practice" and "merely staying in shape."

The imagery of pills as "a mother, but better, / every color and as good as sour balls" highlights the speaker's complex relationship with her addiction. The pills provide comfort and sustenance, replacing the nurturing role typically associated with a mother. However, this comfort is perverse, as it nurtures her dependency and descent into oblivion. The playful comparison to "sour balls" belies the gravity of the situation, juxtaposing the innocence of childhood candy with the lethal allure of drugs.

The speaker's admission that "it has gotten to be a bit of a habit" underscores the insidious nature of addiction, which begins subtly but soon becomes all-consuming. The description of the pills as "blows eight at a time, socked in the eye" conveys the physical and emotional toll of addiction, likening it to a brutal assault. Yet, despite the harm, the speaker is "hung up on it," revealing the tragic irony of addiction: even as it destroys her, she remains bound to it.

Sexton delves into the paradox of addiction as both an act of rebellion and a form of submission. The speaker describes the pills as "stubborn as hell," emphasizing their grip on her, while simultaneously acknowledging her complicity in this "marriage" or "war" where she "plant[s] bombs inside / of myself." This self-destructive behavior is paradoxically described as an "innocuous occupation," suggesting a numbing of the speaker's perception of the severity of her actions. The repetition of "Yes / I try / to kill myself in small amounts" serves as a chilling reminder of the cumulative toll of addiction.

The poem's tone is marked by a blend of resignation and dark humor, as the speaker describes herself as a "little buttercup in my yellow nightie / eating my eight loaves in a row." This image of innocence is sharply contrasted with the underlying violence of her actions, likened to a "black sacrament." The religious imagery throughout the poem — with references to "laying on of hands," "black sacrament," and "altar" — suggests that addiction has become a perverse form of worship, a ritual that demands both devotion and sacrifice.

In the poem's final lines, the speaker's surrender to addiction is complete. She lies on her "altar," elevated by "eight chemical kisses," which provide temporary solace but ultimately lead to numbness and loss of self. The playful yet ominous phrase "Fee-fi-f o-f um" evokes the rhythm of a children's rhyme, further emphasizing the tragic infantilization of the speaker, who is reduced to a passive participant in her own destruction. The concluding lines, "Now I'm borrowed. / Now I'm numb," encapsulate the hollow victory of addiction, where the speaker is left in a state of borrowed existence, devoid of feeling or identity.

"The Addict" is a powerful, unflinching portrayal of the destructive nature of addiction. Through vivid imagery and a tone that oscillates between defiance and resignation, Sexton exposes the complex interplay of control, dependence, and despair that defines the life of an addict. The poem serves as both a confession and a lament, revealing the deep psychological scars that addiction leaves behind, as well as the inexorable pull of the substances that promise relief but deliver only numbness and, ultimately, death.

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