All The Dead Dears by Sylvia Plath Themes

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.

The theme of Sylvia Plath’s poem “All The Dead Dears” revolves around 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 complexities of life and death, inviting readers to contemplate the transient nature of existence and the profound impact of familial legacy.

One prominent theme in the poem is mortality, depicted through the imagery of death and decay. The opening lines portray a deceased woman lying stiffly on her back, with a “granite grin,” suggesting the rigidity and lifelessness of death. She is described as an “antique museum-cased lady,” surrounded by insignificant remnants of animals, emphasizing the inevitability of decay and the passage of time.

The theme of ancestral connections is another key element of the poem. Despite the physical distance between the speaker and the deceased woman, there is a sense of familial connection that transcends blood ties. The speaker reflects on the spectral presence of maternal ancestors, symbolized by the image of “hag hands” reaching out to draw the speaker into the realm of the dead. This imagery underscores the enduring influence of past generations on the present, highlighting the interconnectedness of familial bonds across time.

Additionally, the poem explores the concept of the dead exerting a powerful grip on the living, influencing their thoughts and actions. The deceased woman, although unrelated by blood, is depicted as having a profound impact on the speaker’s psyche, symbolizing the pervasive presence of the dead within the realm of the living. 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 mortal boundaries.

Furthermore, the poem emphasizes the cyclical nature of familial bonds and the inevitability of death. Plath suggests that the dead return to the living through significant life events such as wakes, weddings, and family gatherings, symbolizing the continuity of familial legacy across generations. These moments serve as opportunities for the deceased to reconnect with the living, forging a sense of continuity and legacy that transcends individual lifetimes.

Overall, “All The Dead Dears” by Sylvia Plath is a poignant meditation on mortality, ancestral connections, and the enduring presence of the dead within the fabric of human experience. Through rich imagery and introspective language, Plath invites readers to contemplate the transient nature of existence and the profound impact of familial legacy, underscoring the interconnectedness of past, present, and future.