Metaphors by Sylvia Plath

Pregnancy is supposed to be a time of joy and excitement for the mother to be. However, contrary to popular belief, pregnancy doesn’t protect a woman from becoming depressed. About 20 % of women experience some type of depressive symptoms during pregnancy, and 10% develop major depression (Kahn, Moline, Ross, Cohen, Altshuler par. 3). Depression in America is an area of mental illness that is sometimes undetected and people who are feeling symptoms are unaware that the moods they are experiencing are actually normal signs that can be dealt with by medical experts. According to The American Pregnancy Association, depression that is not treated can have potential dangerous risks to the mother and baby. Untreated depression can lead to poor nutrition, drinking, smoking, and suicidal behavior, which can then cause premature birth, low birth weight, and developmental problems. A woman who is depressed often does not have the strength or desire to adequately care for herself or her developing baby. Babies born to mothers who are depressed may also be less active, show less attention and are more irritable and agitated than babies born to moms who are not depressed (“American Pregnancy Association”). In the poem “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath, her choice of words for the poem seem to express her feelings of depression toward the issue of her pregnancy. Plath chose many metaphors to describe her pregnancy. From her choice of words, one gets the feeling as if she is not enjoying the fact that she is pregnant, nor is she looking forward to giving birth. The beginning line, “I’ a riddle in nine syllables,” begins the pattern of nine syllable lines, with each line having nine syllables and containing nine lines. This reference to the nine months of pregnancy seemed to be an issue for her, and she unlike many pregnant mothers did not seem to want to relish this period of time. In the second line, Plath used the symbol of an elephant to describe how she is feeling about the physical state of her body. She clearly notes that she is getting larger, and the metaphor of an elephant clearly communicates this. In the third line, she denotes her size again with the personification, “A melon strolling on two tendrils.” One can easily picture an expecting mother’s stomach as a melon and her legs as tendrils, which she definitely needs for support as the melon gets larger and larger.
In the fourth line, “O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!” she is addressing the actual baby growing inside her. The red fruit is describing the color of the baby. As she refers to the ivory, she seems to be going back to the second line about the elephant. She is the elephant, but the baby is the ivory which she uses to describe the baby’s skin. Finally, as she notes fine timbers, she is again referring back to the second line about a house, and describes the baby as the timbers from which the house is constructed.
In the fifth line, she continues to mention the growing baby, likening it to a loaf of bread rising in the oven. This seems to refer to the expression of “having a bun in the oven,” and again she shows her obsession of her body image and size. As she states, “ Money’s new-minted in this fat purse”, she seems to be describing how this new baby will be a financial burden to her because of all the costs associated with raising a child.
In the eighth line, when she refers to “eating a bag of green apples”, one gets the impression that she feels sick. The color green signifies feelings of illness. The saying “green around the gills” comes to mind as an idiom in which green and sickness are denoted. Green apples could also refer to their ripeness. The idea of unripe “green apples” could be indicating her feelings of not being prepared or wanting the pregnancy. The ninth line, Plath uses the metaphor; “Boarded the train there’s no getting off” seems to confirm her feeling of regret about getting pregnant. It seems to infer that Plath realizes that her life will never be the same as it was before and that she is stuck for a train ride that is going to last for many years to come. She seems to infer this baby will change her life and she will never have the freedoms she once had.
Pregnancy is an emotional time with hormonal activity triggering mood swings. The general expectation is that the expectant mothers are happy and full of excitement. These expectant mother’s natural maternal instincts are anticipated to kick in and they are supposed to cope beautifully from the beginning of their pregnancy till the birth of the child. In reality, many expectant mothers torment themselves with concerns about their changing bodies and other worries. All of these feelings can trigger a mental disorder called antenatal depression (“Antenatal depression”). There seems very little emotional support for women who suffer from these types of feelings. When an expectant mother visits her doctor, she is checked physically, but very seldom is checked emotionally. Subsequently, depressed moms feel isolated and inadequate and this state of being intensifies their feelings. Sylvia Plath seemed to be suffering from antenatal depression as she conveyed mixed feelings, issues of weight gain and body change, and life changes throughout the poem. She seemed focused on the symptoms and things that were occurring, rather than the fact that she was bringing another life into the world. She fixated on her misfortunes due to the pregnancy. Women in America today experience feelings similar to those described in the poem “Metaphors” and sometimes try to hide them because they aren’t “expected” to experience negative feelings according to modern culture. However, these feelings are very real symptoms and need to be addressed so that the mother and baby can be healthy throughout the pregnancy and after the birth process.
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“Depression In Pregnancy.” American Pregnancy Association Promoting Pregnancy Wellness. Web. 15 April 2013. ihttp://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/depressionduringpregnancy.html
Kahn, David, M.D., Moline, Margarte L, Ph.D., Ross, Ruth W., M.A., Cohen, Lee S., M.D., Altshuler, Lori L,. M.D. “Major Depression during Conception and Pregnancy: A Guide for Patients and Families.” 2001. Web. 14 April 2013. http://www.womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/mdd_guide.pdf
Plath, Sylvia. "Metaphors." An Introduction to Literature. 16th ed. Glenview: Pearson, 2011. 620. Print.