Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's poem "When the Glass of My Body Broke" is a deeply sensual and transformative exploration of the body, identity, and the overwhelming power of intimate connection. Through rich and surreal imagery, Sexton captures the experience of physical and emotional awakening, where the self is both shattered and renewed by the force of desire and love. The poem is a meditation on vulnerability, the breaking down of old identities, and the creation of something new and powerful from the fragments of the past.

The poem begins with an invocation: "Oh mother of sex, / lady of the staggering cuddle," a call to a powerful feminine figure, perhaps an archetype of sexuality or a representation of the speaker's own emerging sensuality. This figure is both nurturing and overwhelming, embodying the dual forces of comfort and intensity that characterize sexual awakening. The speaker then asks, "where do these hands come from?" introducing the central image of the hands, which will recur throughout the poem as symbols of both creation and destruction, tenderness and force.

The hands belong to "a man, a Moby Dick of a man," a figure of immense power and depth, described as "a swimmer going up and down in his brain." This image evokes a sense of introspection and complexity, suggesting that the man is not merely a physical presence but also someone engaged in deep internal exploration. The "gentleness of wine in his fingertips" suggests a soft, intoxicating touch, one that both soothes and seduces. The repeated question, "where do these hands come from?" emphasizes the speaker's awe and confusion at the overwhelming presence of this man and the impact he has on her.

The speaker describes herself as "a glass baby," fragile and untouched, "and nobody picked me up / except to wash the dust off me." This imagery of fragility and neglect suggests a sense of isolation and emotional distance, as if the speaker has lived a life of detachment, shielded by her own fragility. However, this man "has picked me up and licked me alive," a powerful and visceral image of awakening and transformation. The act of "licking alive" suggests both sensuality and a reanimation of the speaker's dormant self, as if this man’s touch has brought her to life in a way she has never experienced before.

The hands, central to the poem, are described in increasingly dynamic and surreal terms: "Hands / growing like ivy over me, / hands growing out of me like hair." The imagery of ivy, with its connotations of growth and entanglement, suggests that the hands are both nurturing and invasive, becoming an intrinsic part of the speaker's body. As the hands "turn into fire grass," the imagery shifts to something more intense and consuming, symbolizing the burning force of desire and transformation.

The hands "planting an iris in my mouth" evoke the idea of new life and beauty being placed within the speaker, yet this transformation is not entirely gentle. The "spinning and blue" iris, along with the imagery of "nipples turning into wings" and "lips turning into days that would not give birth," suggests a complex process of change where the familiar is reimagined into something strange and otherworldly. The mention of "days that would not hold us in their house" and "days that would not wrap us in their secret lap" reflects a sense of time and experience slipping away, as if the conventional markers of life are no longer sufficient to contain or define the speaker’s new reality.

As the poem progresses, the hands become increasingly disembodied and omnipresent: "hands growing out of pictures, / hands crawling out of the walls." These hands represent a force that transcends the physical, reaching into every aspect of the speaker's existence, breaking down the barriers between her inner and outer worlds. The hands "that excite oblivion" evoke the idea of being consumed or erased by this powerful force, leading to a complete transformation of the self.

The poem culminates in a powerful storm imagery: "a strange wind / from somewhere tropic / making a storm between my blind legs." This "strange wind" is both external and internal, a force of nature that stirs the deepest parts of the speaker's being, leading to a profound and inevitable change. The speaker is finally able to "lift the mask of the child from my face," shedding her previous identity and innocence, as "all the toy villages fall." The "toy villages" symbolize the constructed, perhaps superficial, aspects of the speaker’s life—illusions or comforts that no longer hold meaning in the face of this transformative experience.

The poem concludes with the speaker "sink[ing] softly into / the heartland," a powerful image of surrender and acceptance. The "heartland" suggests a return to the core of the self, a place of authenticity and truth that has been reached through the breaking and remaking of the speaker’s identity. The journey from fragility and detachment to a state of raw, intense self-awareness and connection is complete, with the speaker embracing the new self that has emerged from the breaking of the old.

"When the Glass of My Body Broke" by Anne Sexton is a powerful exploration of the themes of transformation, vulnerability, and the complex interplay between destruction and creation. Through rich, evocative imagery and a deeply personal narrative, Sexton captures the profound impact of intimate connection on the self, illustrating how the experience of love and desire can break down old identities and give rise to something new and powerful. The poem is a meditation on the ways in which we are shaped and reshaped by our experiences, and the ultimate acceptance of the self that comes with embracing these transformations.

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