As an average member of society it is often difficult to comprehend ones reason to commit suicide.

Society often labels these people as weak, not knowing of the excruciating implications that mental illness brings. Anne Sexton struggled with depression and suicidal tendencies throughout much of her brief life. While Sexton was able to develop numerous relationships, these were not as meaningful to her as they are for others. Thus, despite being both a mother and a daughter, Sexton struggled to find a role for herself because of her perception of life. Regardless of her mental state, Sexton was able to compose poetry that is considered among the best of the confessional genre. Her troubled personal life and skewed view of reality become evident in her poems Her Kind, Wanting to Die, and The Double Image. Sextons reoccurring use of metaphors, imagery and emotional diction help readers understand why an inability to find ones identity often renders life useless. Sextons personal life is vital to fully understand her poetry. As a confessional poet, her work is often conversational and makes references to events that happened in her life. Sextons childhood was a constant struggle to receive attention from her parents (Wagner-Martin). When, at age 17, Anne began to write beautiful poetry, her mother accused her of plagiarism (Cowart). This strained mother-daughter relationship would be incorporated into Sextons work, such as Wanting to Die, as her mother waits for [her], year after year, hoping to reconcile (25). Sextons troubled life at home made her eager to escape, yet she did not enjoy schoolwhich is where her parents sent her (Cowart). Rather than boarding school, Sexton eloped with Alfred Kayo Sexton and pursued a career in modeling during her twenties (Anne). While she seemed to love her husband, Anne was unfaithful on multiple occasions during his deployments to Korea and later as her celebrity grew (Wagner-Martin). Regardless, Anne and Kayo had two daughters together, who Anne admits to have abused while her husband was away (Anne).

By 1960, Sextons depression had an undeniable impact on her career (Wagner-Martin). In 1959, both of Sextons parents died which caused her a great deal of grief (Cowart). In spite of their troubled relationship, Sexton felt sorrow and guilt following her fathers death in particular, which she expressed in All My Pretty Ones (Cowart). In the poem, she reminisces about childhood encounters with her father and deflects blame to her mother, who, unlike her father, she does not forgive at the end (Cowart). By this time Sexton had been placed in the psychiatric ward on numerous occasions and become closely associated with her therapist, Dr. Martin Orne, who encouraged her to commit to poetry as a career (Anne). She had also met, and become close friends with, other poets such as Maxine Kumin and Sylvia Plath (Cowart). Yet behind what seemed like a normal life, Sexton battled heavily with her mental illness (Cowart). She spent much of her time in therapy and attempted suicide twice unsuccessfully (Anne). Meanwhile, Sextons family life turned sour also as her marriage ended in ruins as Anne grew more famous and her infidelities continued (Wagner-Martin). Annes quality of life varied with her level of depression, which seemed to come and go (Wagner-Martin). By 1972, Sextons depression had reached its climax and her life went downwards (Cowart). She began to drink heavily as her children tried to disassociate themselves and reviews of her poetry worsened (Cowart). In 1974, Anne took her own life and committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning (Cowart). Among Sextons early works, her lust for suicide was not nearly as evident as it later became (Wagner-Martin). Nonetheless, a conflict with her identity was becoming clear. Sexton could not accept societal labels nor could she find a viable alternative that fit her (WagnerMartin). In Her Kind Sexton provides a brief social commentary but, more importantly, emphasizes the need for identity through her use of metaphor, parallel structure and repetition.

While first person is not unusual, given Sextons confessional style, the use of I in this poem indicates a unique persona (Middlebrook). Most of Sextons work is from her own perspective, but in this case, she seems detached from the speaker (Middlebrook). In each stanza, the speaker compares herself to a different person, all of which are considered to be mad by society (Middlebrook). She begins as a possessed witch who, in her insane state, is not a woman (1, 6). This is clearly a personal issue for Sexton, who is often looked down upon by society because of her madness (Middlebrook). Hence, while she is not confessing any specific personal events, Sexton expresses her own problem with identity. Sexton starts each stanza with I have and follows by comparing herself to a different lunatic each time. This use of present perfect implies that the speaker has lived multiple lives in the past. She not only compares herself to a witch but also to a housewife and adultressall of which are traditionally female roles (Middlebrook). The speaker is aware of how society views her but finds it unsettling. She does not accept the role of a mad woman and explains that such women [are] misunderstood (13). While some consider this a feministic remark, Sexton is likely emphasizing societys negative perception of the mad and how that inhibits her own development of identity. Although there are undoubtedly feministic elements to this poem, Sextons life and poetic style give reason to believe that death is a relevant motif (Middlebrook). In the final stanza, Sexton relates herself to a promiscuous woman whose nude arms wave at those she passes by (16). Since Sexton had previously committed infidelities, this is certainly another experience she can relate to. As the stanza concludes, the speaker explains that such a woman should not be ashamed to die (20). Thus, the speakers emotions have reached a climax and she no longer

has the desire to remain alive. She is an outcast and believes that the only viable option for escape is death. Integral to Sextons severe mental illness was her view of the world (Anne). Many onlookers cannot imagine why she would want to commit suicide. Sexton seemingly had everythingfamily, friends and no financial troubles (Anne). Yet through her unique view of the world, she did not acknowledge this. The idea of death both bothered and tantalized Sexton (Anne). She believed that because death makes everybody equal, there is no point to live (Anne). In her later works, Sexton focuses almost exclusively on death and why she desires it so much (Wagner-Martin). In her poem Wanting to Die Sexton utilizes conversational tone, metaphors and hyperbole as she explains to the reader her desire for death and proves, once again, that because death equalizes all, one must give meaning to his/her life through the development of identity. Sextons conversational style becomes evident as she implies that she is answering the reader. It is only Since [the reader] ask[s] that she has to explain why it is that she has been attempting to commit suicide (1). This tone creates a smoother connection between the speaker and the reader, who may otherwise feel distanced from the psychotic poet. This is crucial to Sextons poetry. Otherwise, she may be unable to effectively express her views to the reader. Yet some believe that this honest relationship with the reader grows tedious (Anne). Critics claim that this constant feed of personal information attracts readers too much, while there is a limited amount that Sexton can share (Anne). Nonetheless, Sextons conversational tone continues throughout the poem as she attempts to express her own view of life to the reader. She metaphorically compares her life to a voyage that leaves its marks on her (2). This appeals to the reader emotionally and implies Sextons struggles. Having introduced herself, Sexton

attempts to further relate herself to the reader by expressing her knowledge of an outsiders perception of suicide. She describes of the joys of life that you mention, referring to the reader (5). Her choice of you further connects Sexton to the reader but, more importantly, establishes her unique situation. She is aware of her own mental condition and acknowledges that other people look down on her because of it. Thus, by choosing you, Sexton announces that she cannot experience joyous encounters under the sun, so she should not be expected to (6). After developing this connection with the reader, Sexton continues by explaining her battle with suicide. Through another metaphorical comparison, Sexton states that Suicides have a special language, and she doesnt expect an average person to understand her troubles (7). Her comparison allows, once again, the reader to relate a complex mental condition to something that he/she sees regularly. In this case, Sexton relates understanding why people have suicidal tendencies to understanding someone speaking in a foreign language. However, according to fellow poet Denise Levertov, this language metaphor was similar to one present in Sextons life (Wagner-Martin). Many critics consider poetry as Sextons language and without it, her insights and opinions of death would have never been heard (Wagner-Martin). Despite her extended network of family and friends, Sexton was often isolated because of her state of mind and poetry is responsible for her staying alive as long as she had (Wagner-Martin). This theory is supported by Sextons own beliefsher difficulty accepting and expressing her identity caused Sexton to commit suicide. Knowledge of Sextons personal life becomes crucial as she refers to her two previous suicide attempts. She had twice declared [her]self dead, through her attempts at suicide (10). Yet, Sexton is aware of the harm that suicide attempts do to her. She describes her body as heavy and thoughtful in the time immediately after her suicide attempts (13). This state that

she describes involves her drooling in a condition where she cannot control her own body (15). Sexton understands how deprived her body is and even uses a hyperbole when describing her own body. Her body is damaged so greatly that even the cornea and left over urine [were] gone (17). This information that Sexton provides implies her awareness of the damage suicide causes. Sexton understands that society views her as an outcast. Yet by admitting this, Sexton implies that she cannot stop her suicidal tendencies. The conclusion of Sextons poem provides her justification; why she desires to commits suicide. Sexton uses an oxymoron when she exclaims that still born[s] dont always die (19). This is, in fact, contradictory to the definition because still-born children are always dead. Sextons death motif once again surfaces as she questions how complete death is and if everyone ends up in the same state. In the subsequent stanzas, Sexton refers to all that life under [her] tongue (22). Sexton is referring to the sense of power that comes with suicide. She has a life in her hands, and this makes suicide even more enticing. Finally Sexton, leaves the reader with a reference to her youth and personal life: she waits for me, year and year (25). Sexton refers to her own mother who, before her death wanted to reconcile. The troubled Sexton household is thus revealed as a prime cause of Sextons struggle with identity (Wagner-Martin). While Sexton considers herself a poet and artist, her mother never gave her that recognition (Wagner-Martin). These familial struggles with scrutiny, pride and loyalty plagued Sexton throughout her life and she consequently struggled to accept her identity. These grim motifs of family struggles and death are undeniably related in Sextons work. In Double Image, an extremely long explanation targeting her daughter, Sexton is, once again, portrayed by the speaker. In the seven part poem, Sextons use of simile and imagery conveys an

overall negativity present in the speakers life and how that has affected her relationship with her daughter, promoting the poets belief that without identity, life is meaningless. While Sexton makes it obvious that she is the speaker by citing her daughters and her own ages, there is a glaring flaw in this idea (Long). Sextons relationship with her daughter was stable despite mistakes (Long). Yet the speaker is in despair and can be described as hopeless and fearful (Long). And, although Sexton was aware of her flaws, she had never, until this poem, cited them as a vulnerability (Long). Sextons self-perceived greatest flawsuicide surfaces once again in the poem as she compares death encompassing her to a broken faucet (1, 20). Yet this reference is unique because Sexton also acknowledges that her own attempted suicides harmed her daughter. And, as this poem is directed towards her daughter, Sexton wants to not only apologize but guide her. Since Sexton struggled with her own sense of belonging, she wants her daughter to know that it is more important to believe in oneself than to fit in with society (Long). Sexton tells her daughter that there is no special God to guide her but rather that she must love herself in order to find her true identity (1, 36). The first part of the poem reveals Sextons belief that her struggle to find identity could affect her daughter because of their similarly troubled childhoods (Long). Thus, it becomes clear that Sexton believes that her inability to accept an identity led to her lust for death. Part of Sextons identity involved finding a place to be, which she clearly also struggled with. In the subsequent sections of the poem, the speaker describes her constant travel to and from mental clinics, how this only made death more desirable. Sexton describes the sea blizzards of Boston and how meaningless they were when all she could think about was dying

(4, 10). The speaker continues to explain that regardless of her surroundings, she could never achieve a sense of self-fulfillment. However, despite the apologetic tone and guidance given to her daughter, Sexton seems overall detached. By calling her daughter names such as small piglet, Sexton provides an excuse for the lack of interaction between them (5, 16). This use of non-human terminology removes any responsibility for Sexton to feel any connection to her daughter, freeing her for suicidal pursuits (Long). Sexton knows that her lack of maternal feelings is a result of her mental condition. However, in her view, this is only the result of an inability to accept mother as part of her identity. As a result, Sexton believes the only acceptable alternative is death. Sextons traumatic life was reflected widely throughout her poetry. Her real-life struggles with suicide, family and social roles became reoccurring motifs throughout her work. Yet the biggest problem that stemmed from Sextons mental illness was her inability to find identity. It is because of her inability to develop an identity that she wanted to commit suicide. This idea is seen in Sextons Her Kind, in which she acknowledges societys condescending view of her and questions if there is a role for her. Furthermore, in Wanting to Die, Sextons revealing confession, she explains to an average observer why she has, so desperately, tried to kill herself. Finally, in The Double Image, provides her final revelation regarding why identity is so crucial to life. Through her own suicide, Sexton left her readers with the realization that one must be content with his or her own role in order to function in society.