Ada Lin

Plath and the Body: “Unwrap Me Hand and Foot”
Sylvia Plath has become a leading poet of her time. Many say it is due to her powerful style, usually marked with striking imagery that makes use of figurative language. One repeating motif she uses throughout her poems is the image of body parts, although they produce different effects in different poems. These images of body parts show Plath’s view on certain subjects, but in “The Colossus,” Plath seems to believe that her father’s spirit is connected to the body, while in Lady Lazarus,” she demonstrates a detached feeling about her own flesh.
“The Colossus” is a poem discussing Plath’s feelings towards her father. The title refers to an ancient statue that once stood, straddling a river, now only ruins after an earthquake. The images of body parts in this poem serve to illustrate the importance of Plath’s father in her life, even in his death. For example, in the second stanza, she tells of the monumental task she has labored over, trying “to dredge the silt” from her father’s throat (9). Furthermore, all of the imagery shares one commonality- they are described to be huge. Plath measures the expanse of his brow in acres, and his skull plates are “immense (13-14).” This represents how huge of a figure Otto Plath was to Sylvia, a “Colossus.” In the second to last stanza, she mentions how she seeks shelter behind his left ear (24-25). Even after he is broken down in death, she is still “an ant,” compared to him, seeking shelter from him (12).
In contrast, “Lady Lazarus” focuses on Plath’s desire to die, rather than her connection to a separate person. The mentions of body parts, such as “The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth,” mainly serve as connections to the Biblical story of Lazarus, and through it, the anger she feels at being unable to rest in peace (13). Another example would be the line “unwrap me hand and foot,” which refers to when Lazarus is unwrapped from his burial clothes (28). This connection to the Biblical story shows how Plath views her failed suicide attempts as something unexpected, and even unwanted.
However, although in both poems, body parts show Plath’s feelings on certain subjects, in “The Colossus” Plath seems to believe the body is an anchor to the soul. For example, for the first few stanzas, the speaker talks of mending the stature of the Colossus. “I shall never get you put together entirely,” starts the poem (1). This desire to piece together the stature reflects Plath’s desire to bring back her father and have him speak to her again- “Thirty years now I have labored/ To dredge the silt from your throat…(8-9)” This belief that mending the statue will bring her father back to life demonstrates a belief that the body and soul are one and the same.
In contrast, “Lady Lazarus” demonstrates Plath’s detachment to the body. The twenty-fifth stanza reads “Ash, ash----/ You poke and stir/ Flesh, bone, there is nothing there (23-25).” The words “ash, ash” show that her body is only remnants of flame and her flesh and bone are no longer there. However, Plath is still able to speak, addressing the audience, who is poking and stirring the remains. This shows how little Plath needs her body, able to exist without it, and this is emphasized in the second to last line in the poem. “Out of the ash/ I rise with my red air (32-33). “
With the same images of body parts, Plath is able to reveal different facets of her personality. They conveyed her feelings effectively, supporting the themes of the poems. Although they differ in portraying the connection between mind and body, they prove how great a poet Plath is, able to weave multiple layers of meaning in her writing.