Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Rowing" is a deeply introspective poem that captures the essence of a lifelong journey toward self-understanding and spiritual fulfillment. Through the metaphor of rowing, Sexton explores the hardships, absurdities, and persistent hopes that characterize the human condition. The poem’s progression from childhood to middle age reflects the inevitability of growth, change, and the pursuit of something greater—something that often remains elusive but continues to beckon.

The poem opens with a storyteller’s invocation, "A story, a story! / (Let it go. Let it come.)," signaling that what follows is both a personal narrative and a universal tale. This framing immediately positions the poem as a reflection on the journey of life, one that is fluid, evolving, and shaped by forces beyond the individual’s control. The reference to being "stamped out like a Plymouth fender" suggests a sense of being manufactured, shaped by external forces from the very beginning. This mechanical imagery evokes a feeling of detachment and inevitability, as if the speaker’s life was predetermined and industrialized, lacking warmth or individuality.

The poem then moves through the stages of the speaker’s early life, beginning with the crib "with its glacial bars" and progressing through school, where the speaker feels "undersea all the time, / a stranger whose elbows wouldn't work." These images convey a sense of isolation and discomfort, a feeling of being trapped within societal structures that impose conformity and suppress individuality. The use of "glacial" to describe the crib bars underscores the coldness and rigidity of these early constraints, while the description of school as a place of "little straight rows of chairs" further emphasizes the uniformity and lack of freedom that the speaker experiences.

As the speaker grows older, the poem introduces the idea of life’s "cruel houses / and people who seldom touched." This suggests a world where connection and warmth are rare, where human relationships are marked by distance rather than intimacy. Despite this, the speaker continues to grow, albeit "like a pig in a trenchcoat," an image that conveys awkwardness and a sense of being out of place. The speaker’s growth is accompanied by "many strange apparitions," such as "the nagging rain" and "the sun turning into poison," which reflect the disorienting and often painful experiences of life. These images suggest that the journey of growth is fraught with challenges, and that the world can be a hostile and confusing place.

Despite these difficulties, the speaker continues to grow, repeating the phrase "I grew, I grew," as if to affirm the persistence of life and the inevitability of change. The mention of God as "an island I had not rowed to" introduces the central metaphor of the poem—the act of rowing toward an elusive spiritual destination. This image suggests that while the speaker has been growing and changing, the journey toward God, or toward a deeper understanding of life, has yet to be completed. The speaker remains "ignorant of Him," and the act of rowing becomes a metaphor for the ongoing struggle to reach this distant, unknown island.

As the poem shifts to the speaker’s middle age, the rowing metaphor takes center stage. The speaker describes herself as "about nineteen in the head," highlighting the disconnect between physical age and emotional or spiritual maturity. Despite the challenges of rowing—"the oarlocks stick and are rusty" and "the sea blinks and rolls / like a worried eyeball"—the speaker persists. This determination to keep rowing, despite the obstacles, reflects a deep-seated hope and resilience, a refusal to give up on the journey even when it seems futile.

The poem acknowledges that the island—the ultimate destination—will not be perfect. It will "have the flaws of life, / the absurdities of the dinner table," but it will also offer the possibility of redemption and healing. The speaker envisions opening a door on this island and "getting rid of the rat inside of me, / the gnawing pestilential rat." This rat symbolizes the internal struggles, the self-doubt, and the guilt that have plagued the speaker throughout life. The hope that "God will take it with his two hands / and embrace it" suggests a desire for spiritual cleansing and acceptance, a longing to be made whole.

The poem concludes with a nod to an African saying, "This is my tale which I have told, / if it be sweet, if it be not sweet, / take somewhere else and let some return to me." This closing reflects the cyclical nature of storytelling and life itself, suggesting that the journey of rowing is ongoing, and that the story, like life, does not truly end. The final line, "This story ends with me still rowing," underscores the continuous nature of the human quest for meaning, understanding, and connection.

In "Rowing," Anne Sexton uses the metaphor of rowing to explore the complexities of the human journey, the persistence required to navigate life’s challenges, and the hope that, despite the imperfections of the destination, the journey itself is meaningful and necessary. The poem is a powerful meditation on growth, struggle, and the search for spiritual fulfillment, resonating with anyone who has ever felt the weight of life’s burdens and the pull of something greater just beyond reach.

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