Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Killing the Spring," Anne Sexton delves into the desolation and despair that accompany the loss of vitality, both in nature and within the self. The poem draws on a quote from Ernest Hemingway, where the killing of spring is likened to the senseless death of a young person, setting the tone for Sexton’s exploration of death, numbness, and the inevitable return of pain, despite attempts to suppress it.

The poem opens with a vivid image of spring being "bulldozed under," a violent and unnatural destruction of a season traditionally associated with renewal and life. The repetition of "She would not, would not, would not" underscores the resistance and struggle of spring against this premature death, suggesting a force of life that is being forcibly extinguished. The "metallic rains" and "dreadful tulips" beaten down "like pigeons" contribute to the sense of a world where natural beauty is under siege, where even the vibrant symbols of spring are reduced to lifeless, mechanical remnants.

Sexton’s use of the "gun-metal window" through which the speaker observes this destruction hints at a barrier between the speaker and the outside world, one that is cold, hard, and impenetrable. The speaker's decision to "ignore spring" and retreat into herself by putting on "blinders" and riding a donkey "in a circle" signifies a deliberate withdrawal from the world and its cyclical nature. This circular motion, however, is futile; despite the speaker’s efforts to ride "for eternity," she inevitably "came back." This repetition highlights the inescapable nature of reality and memory, which, no matter how hard the speaker tries to repress or escape them, continually resurface.

The imagery of consuming "sour meat" and it coming back suggests an attempt to internalize and digest bitterness and pain, only for it to resurface undigested, much like the persistent memories the speaker tries to "strike out" with an X. The failure of these attempts to erase or control time, memory, and sensation is emphasized through the recurring phrase "but it came back," creating a rhythm that mirrors the relentlessness of these forces.

As the poem progresses, the speaker’s attempts to deaden her senses grow more extreme. The metaphorical "death bowl" in which she places her head, leading her eyes to "shut up like clams," indicates a willful blindness, a refusal to engage with the world’s pain. The eyes, described as "two blue gods" that have forsaken their role, are personified as entities that have chosen not to "play" anymore, embodying the speaker’s resignation and disconnection from life.

The nailing of the hands "onto a pine box" further intensifies this theme of self-crucifixion and self-imposed paralysis. The hands, once "touchers" and "bears," are now immobilized, rendered incapable of "reach[ing] out and speak[ing]." This imagery of the hands being "fastened down to oblivion" and "in training for a crucifixion" not only evokes a sense of martyrdom but also suggests a deliberate renunciation of agency and interaction with the world.

Similarly, the drowning of the ears "in the Atlantic," where they "sank like oiled birds," portrays the final severance of the speaker’s connection to the external world. The ears, like the eyes and hands before them, do not return, signaling the speaker’s complete sensory shutdown. The mention of the ears not being "deceived by laughter" and not "luminous like the clock" reinforces the idea that even the most elemental joys and markers of time are lost to the speaker, who now exists in a state of sensory and emotional void.

The poem’s conclusion, where the speaker reflects on being unable to "see the spring," "hear the spring," or "touch the spring," encapsulates the totality of her detachment from life. The final lines draw a parallel between the death of spring and the senseless death of a young person, linking the seasonal cycle to the personal loss of vitality and purpose. The speaker’s identification with this death—"I was the same"—suggests that she, too, has experienced a kind of spiritual or emotional death, where the life force within her has been extinguished, leaving her numb and disconnected.

"Killing the Spring" is a powerful meditation on the loss of life, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. Through the imagery of sensory deprivation and the relentless return of memory and pain, Sexton portrays a deep, almost existential despair. The poem underscores the futility of trying to escape the cycles of life and the inevitability of confronting the pain and loss that come with it.

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