Exploring Feelings of Pregnancy through Plath's Metaphors

Treasured Parasite;

Examining Feelings of Pregnancy through “Metaphors”

By Molly Miller

May 5 2008

There is a new life inside a woman. She is carrying a precious seed and should feel honored that the little guest is inside her. Not all can do that. She is lucky that a child lives within her. Yet there is another tone in many women’s voice when they talk about pregnancy. They do not feel blessed, they feel abused. In Sylvia Plath’s poem “Metaphors” she talks about all the different feelings that come with pregnancy.

The first feeling Plath admits is a feeling of confusion. She calls herself a “riddle” showing that who she really is can’t be seen very easily. Maybe she can’t even solve her own riddle. The “nine syllables” she talks about are the nine months that she is pregnant. She is saying that as long as there is a baby inside her, there is a riddle surrounding her as well.

She feels fat. She compares herself to an elephant, which everyone knows is rather large and robust. An elephant also has the second longest pregnancy. It lasts 22 months and Plath may be suggesting that she feels like the pregnancy is very, very long. It is also very hard to get an elephant pregnant. She talks of her baby as the elephant’s ivory. The ivory of an elephant is the treasure of an elephant. Because of their ivory, they are hunted. Everyone wants elephant ivory. Does everyone want Plath’s baby? Are people only interested in Plath because she carries her baby? Plath also calls herself a “ponderous house” and a “Melon strolling on two tendrils.”

When I first heard the word “ponderous” I related it to the word “ponder” which means to meditate or consider thoroughly. Thus I originally thought Plath was saying that she thought constantly about her pregnancy. When I looked up the word, however, I found it meant heavy, or bearing much weight. Because of this definition, I see that Plath thinks herself fat. I think both definitions can be possible interpretations of the word “ponderous.” When Plath uses “house” it is quite obvious that she is talking about the fact that her stomach is now a home for a child.

The “melon” Plath talks about is her body; round and plump. It grows bigger and bigger until it becomes ripe. Her “two tendrils” are her legs. They support her, but just barely and they are tiny and almost shriveled because of her weight.

She also says that she’s “eaten a bag of green apples.” And that she is like a loaf of bread. What is with all the food metaphors? Could Plath be craving some fruits and bread? Many people do crave sugar during their pregnancies, so it is possible Plath just wanted some sugary fruits.

She doesn’t just use food metaphors though. Plath also compares herself to a purse with a new, shiny coin inside. This shows that not only does she recognize that she is the proper place for her child to be kept, but that she considered her child a treasure. There is a reason that the child is in her and she knows that one day it will be a beautiful new life that is worth so much!

Because of the great worth of the child, Plath also describes the feeling that she is lessened in worth. She says “I’m a means, a stage…” This mother-to-be is wondering if the baby is worth more than she is. I think a lot of pregnant women think that their babies are worth more than they are. That is because everyone always is excited about the baby. They buy things for the baby, they plan for the baby, they throw a shower for the baby, they want to feel the baby, they want to know when the baby will come, if it’s a boy or a girl, and what its name will be. They only ask about the mother as far as to make sure the baby is well. The mother, to them, is only the means to a baby. Is it any wonder that the mother starts thinking this way?

The last line “Boarded the train there’s no getting off” seems to almost express regret at getting pregnant. It almost is said with a sigh. She accepts that it has happened and recognizes that her baby is a treasure, but does she wish she could stop it? Does she wish to get off the train? She is torn between hating the process and loving the child who will be waiting for her at the end of the pregnancy.