Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s “Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman” is an intimate and tender poem in which the speaker, a mother, addresses her young daughter on the cusp of womanhood. The poem is an exploration of growth, transformation, and the complexities of maternal love as the mother contemplates the impending changes in her daughter's life.

The poem opens with the speaker describing her daughter as a "garden," a metaphor that emphasizes the naturalness and beauty of her growth. The daughter, at "eleven (almost twelve)," is at a pivotal moment, poised on the brink of adolescence. The mother expresses a deep awareness of this transitional phase, referring to it as the time when "high noon" enters—a metaphor for puberty and the onset of maturity. The phrase "high noon" also evokes the idea of a critical moment, a turning point that is both inevitable and significant.

Sexton uses vivid imagery to convey the richness and vibrancy of this period in the daughter's life. The mother recalls a trip to Amalfi, where she saw "lemons as large as your desk-side globe," and compares them to her daughter’s emerging maturity. The reference to "mushrooms and garlic buds all engorged" and "the orchard next door, / where the berries are done / and the apples are beginning to swell" further underscores the theme of growth and ripening, both in the literal sense of nature and the figurative sense of the daughter's development.

The metaphor of the "stringbean" is particularly striking. It captures the daughter's slender, youthful form and her potential for further growth. The mother acknowledges that her daughter is "too many to eat," a phrase that suggests an abundance of life and energy, as well as the mother's recognition that she can no longer contain or control her daughter’s growth. The daughter is becoming her own person, moving beyond the reach of her mother's protective embrace.

The poem also touches on the isolation and confusion that can accompany this period of change. The mother recalls her own experience of womanhood, describing it as a time when she "waited like a target" for the unknown. This memory reveals a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty, emotions she imagines her daughter might also encounter. The mention of "old wives speaking of womanhood" suggests the shared, yet often unspoken, knowledge passed down through generations of women.

Sexton delves into the idea of a second birth, stating, "What I want to say, Linda, / is that women are born twice." This notion reflects the profound transformation that occurs during adolescence, as a girl transitions into womanhood. The mother wishes she could have witnessed her daughter's development from the inside, marveling at the "ripening within" during pregnancy. This desire to connect deeply with her daughter's experience speaks to the intensity of maternal love and the longing to protect and guide.

Throughout the poem, the mother oscillates between feelings of protectiveness and the recognition that she must eventually let go. She reassures her daughter that "there is nothing in your body that lies," affirming the honesty and integrity of her daughter's physical and emotional changes. The mother’s tone is one of gentle encouragement, urging her daughter to embrace her emerging self with confidence and self-assurance.

The poem concludes with the mother envisioning her daughter as a "white stone, a good stone," solid and sure of herself. The image of striking "fire" suggests that the daughter will ignite her own life, creating something new and powerful from within. This final image encapsulates the mother's hope that her daughter will navigate the challenges of growing up with strength and resilience.

“Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman” is a poignant and evocative exploration of the mother-daughter relationship during a time of significant change. Sexton captures the deep emotions involved in witnessing a child’s growth, blending tenderness with a recognition of the inevitable distance that will come as the daughter moves toward independence. The poem is a celebration of the beauty and complexity of womanhood, seen through the loving eyes of a mother who both mourns and rejoices in her daughter's transformation.

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