Widow by Sylvia Plath Summary

Widow. The word consumes itself —-
Body, a sheet of newsprint on the fire
Levitating a numb minute in the updraft
Over the scalding, red topography
That will put her heart out like an only eye.

Widow. The dead syllable, with its shadow
Of an echo, exposes the panel in the wall
Behind which the secret passages lies—stale air,
Fusty remembrances, the coiled-spring stair
That opens at the top onto nothing at all….

Widow. The bitter spider sits
And sits in the center of her loveless spokes.
Death is the dress she wears, her hat and collar.
The moth-face of her husband, moonwhite and ill,
Circles her like a prey she’d love to kill

A second time, to have him near again —-
A paper image to lay against her heart
The way she laid his letters, till they grew warm
And seemed to give her warmth, like a live skin.
But it is she who is paper now, warmed by no one.

Widow: that great, vacant estate!
The voice of God is full of draftiness,
Promising simply the hard stars, the space
Of immortal blankness between stars
And no bodies, singing like arrows up to heaven.

Widow, the compassionate trees bend in,
The trees of loneliness, the trees of mourning.
They stand like shadows about the green landscape —-
Or even like black holes cut out of it.
A widow resembles them, a shadow-thing,

Hand folding hand, and nothing in between.
A bodiless soul could pass another soul
In this clear air and never notice it —-
One soul pass through the other, frail as smoke
And utterly ignorant of the way it took.

That is the fear she has—the fear
His soul may beat and be beating at her dull sense
Like Blue Mary’s angel, dovelike against a pane
Blinded to all but the grey, spiritless room
It looks in on, and must go on looking in on.

“Widow” by Sylvia Plath is a poem that describes the emotional turmoil experienced by a woman who has lost her husband. In the first stanza, the word “widow” is explored, suggesting emptiness and loss. The widow’s heart is compared to a sheet of newsprint on fire, signifying intense pain and grief. The imagery of levitation and numbness emphasizes the disorientation and detachment she feels.

The second stanza delves deeper into the widow’s experience, likening her to a spider in the center of her web. Death becomes her attire, symbolizing the all-encompassing nature of her grief. The presence of her dead husband is described as a moth circling her, evoking feelings of longing and a desire for closeness, despite the bitterness she feels.

In the third stanza, the widow is portrayed as wearing death like a dress, further emphasizing her sense of loss and isolation. The imagery of her husband’s face as a moth highlights the haunting presence of his memory. The widow’s longing for warmth and companionship is juxtaposed with her current state of emptiness and numbness.

The fourth stanza introduces the concept of the widow’s estate as a vast, vacant space. God’s voice is described as drafty, offering only the emptiness of space and stars. The imagery of trees bending in compassion suggests a natural empathy for her plight, while also highlighting the loneliness and mourning that surround her.

The fifth stanza continues to explore the widow’s sense of isolation and detachment. She is compared to a shadow, hand folding hand with nothing in between. The fear of her husband’s lingering presence and the uncertainty of her own existence add to her sense of despair and confusion.

Overall, “Widow” portrays the complex emotions of grief and loss experienced by a woman who has been left behind. Through vivid imagery and poignant language, Sylvia Plath captures the intense pain, loneliness, and longing that accompany widowhood.