Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's poem "The Operation" is an unflinchingly raw exploration of the experience of illness, surgery, and the emotional and physical trauma that accompanies these experiences. Through vivid, often brutal imagery, Sexton captures the vulnerability, fear, and ultimately the survival that comes with confronting one's mortality. The poem is divided into three sections, each delving deeper into the speaker's psyche as she grapples with her own impending surgery, reflecting on her mother's death, and navigating the surreal landscape of the hospital.

In the first section, Sexton sets the stage by recalling the "sweet promise" of her mother's temporary reprieve from cancer, only to be followed by the harsh reality of her death during the winter months. The speaker finds herself in the sterile, clinical environment of a doctor's office, where the "almost mighty doctor" decides that she too must undergo surgery. This decision echoes the fate of her mother, and the speaker is forced to confront the hereditary nature of her illness and the possibility of sharing her mother's fate. The line "It grew in her / as simply as a child would grow" poignantly juxtaposes the natural process of childbirth with the unnatural, destructive growth of cancer, underscoring the cruel irony of the disease.

The imagery of the hospital is cold and unyielding, with the speaker trudging through "sloppy peak[s]" of snow, her boots "slapping into the hospital halls." The hospital itself is depicted as a place of "special smells of dying," where fear is a constant companion. The speaker lies to her mother, as "all who love have lied," in an attempt to shield her from the truth, but the inevitability of death looms large. The doctor's reassurances offer little comfort, as the speaker grapples with the reality that "living is worth buying," a stark acknowledgment of the fragility and preciousness of life.

In the second section, the speaker prepares for the operation, stripping down to the bare essentials of her body, which she describes as "dumb" and "meat." The hospital room becomes a place of unease, where "rooms down the hall are calling / all night long" and the night outside is filled with "yellow eyes" flickering in the rain. The speaker's fear is palpable as she lies "smooth from breast to leg," aware that her body, once special, is now just another object in the operating room. The anticipation of surgery is likened to being "hung up like a saddle," an object to be used and manipulated by the surgeons.

The speaker's experience of anesthesia is depicted as an out-of-body experience, where she "float[s] out over [her] own skin" and soars "in hostile air / over the pure women in labor." This detachment from her physical self highlights the surreal nature of the surgical experience, where the body is both present and absent, a vessel for the soul that temporarily escapes its confines. The imagery of "nerves pull[ing] like wires" and "strangers, their faces rolling like hoops" emphasizes the disorienting and dehumanizing aspects of the operation.

In the third and final section, the speaker awakens from surgery, her "skull flat" and "thick with shock." The aftermath of the operation is a haze of pain and confusion, where the speaker calls out for her mother, recalling her "good morning" and the comforting smell of "orange and jam." The speaker is surrounded by nurses, "those starchy ghosts," who attend to her mechanical body, keeping it functioning as she lies in a state of semi-consciousness. The speaker is acutely aware of her vulnerability, comparing herself to a "senile woman" with a "scarlet candy package ribbon in [her] hair."

As the days pass, the speaker begins to recover, though she remains haunted by the experience. She lounges in "bunny pink slippers," a childlike image that contrasts with the gravity of her ordeal. The speaker acknowledges the absurdity of her situation, referring to herself as "humpty-dumpty," a fragile figure who must be carefully put back together. The poem ends with the speaker's resolve to "run along now," her "stomach laced up like a football / for the game," a wry acknowledgment of the ongoing battle she faces as she returns to life outside the hospital.

"The Operation" is a powerful meditation on the physical and emotional toll of illness and surgery. Anne Sexton masterfully captures the complexities of the human experience in the face of mortality, weaving together themes of fear, pain, and resilience. The poem's vivid imagery and unflinching honesty invite the reader to confront the realities of the body and the mind, offering a deeply personal and universal exploration of what it means to face one's own vulnerability and emerge on the other side.

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