All The Dead Dears by Sylvia Plath Analysis

Rigged poker -stiff on her back
With a granite grin
This antique museum-cased lady
Lies, companioned by the gimcrack
Relics of a mouse and a shrew
That battened for a day on her ankle-bone.

These three, unmasked now, bear
Dry witness
To the gross eating game
We’d wink at if we didn’t hear
Stars grinding, crumb by crumb,
Our own grist down to its bony face.

How they grip us through think and thick,
These barnacle dead!
This lady here’s no kin
Of mine, yet kin she is: she’ll suck
Blood and whistle my narrow clean
To prove it. As I think now of her hand,

From the mercury-backed glass
Mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother
Reach hag hands to haul me in,
And an image looms under the fishpond surface
Where the daft father went down
With orange duck-feet winnowing this hair —-

All the long gone darlings: They
Get back, though, soon,
Soon: be it by wakes, weddings,
Childbirths or a family barbecue:
Any touch, taste, tang’s
Fit for those outlaws to ride home on,

And to sanctuary: usurping the armchair
Between tick
And tack of the clock, until we go,
Each skulled-and-crossboned Gulliver
Riddled with ghosts, to lie
Deadlocked with them, taking roots as cradles rock.

“All The Dead Dears” by Sylvia Plath is a poem that delves into the themes of mortality, ancestral connections, and the enduring presence of the dead within the lives of the living. Through vivid imagery and introspective language, Plath explores the complex interplay between the past and present, mortality and legacy.

The poem begins with a stark depiction of a deceased woman, described as being “rigged poker-stiff on her back” with a “granite grin.” This imagery evokes a sense of cold rigidity and lifelessness, emphasizing the inescapable reality of death. The woman is likened to an “antique museum-cased lady,” suggesting a preserved relic of the past, surrounded by insignificant remnants of animals. This juxtaposition highlights the transient nature of life and the inevitability of decay.

Plath continues to explore the theme of mortality through the symbolic presence of the dead woman, the mouse, and the shrew. These figures serve as silent witnesses to the passage of time and the relentless process of consumption and decay. The imagery of “stars grinding, crumb by crumb” conveys a sense of cosmic inevitability, as the universe inexorably grinds all living beings down to their fundamental essence.

The speaker reflects on the profound grip that the dead have on the living, despite the passage of time and the distance between generations. The dead woman, although unrelated by blood, is depicted as exerting a powerful influence over the speaker, symbolizing the enduring connections between past and present. The image of the dead woman’s hand reaching out from the “mercury-backed glass” evokes a sense of spectral presence, drawing the speaker into a familial embrace that transcends the boundaries of life and death.

Plath further explores the theme of ancestral connections through the imagery of the mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who loom large in the speaker’s consciousness. The image of the father submerged beneath the fishpond surface adds a layer of haunting nostalgia, suggesting the lingering presence of past generations within the speaker’s psyche.

The poem concludes with a meditation on the cyclical nature of familial bonds and the inevitability of death. Plath emphasizes the ways in which the dead return to the living through various life events, such as wakes, weddings, and family gatherings. These moments serve as opportunities for the departed to reconnect with the living, forging a sense of continuity and legacy that transcends individual lifetimes.

Overall, “All The Dead Dears” is a poignant exploration of mortality, ancestry, and the enduring presence of the dead within the fabric of human experience. Through rich imagery and introspective language, Sylvia Plath invites readers to contemplate the complexities of life and death, and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present.