Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Praying to Big Jack" is a deeply emotional plea to God, whom she refers to as "Jack of all trades," to spare the life of Ruthie, a six-year-old girl suffering from a brain tumor. Addressing God in such familiar and colloquial terms as "Jack" gives the prayer a sense of intimacy and urgency, as though the speaker is trying to break through divine indifference with raw, human desperation. The poem’s intensity lies in its juxtaposition of innocence and impending tragedy, as well as its exploration of the limits of faith and the existential struggle to find meaning in suffering.

The poem opens with a direct invocation to God, acknowledging His omnipotence with the phrase "Jack of all trades," which suggests that God is capable of anything, including healing and saving lives. Yet, the speaker immediately shifts from this acknowledgment of power to a desperate negotiation, offering Ruthie’s life in trade for another day. This sets the tone of the poem as a desperate bargain, where the speaker knows that time is running out and is willing to do anything to save the child.

Ruthie is described as an ordinary, yet precious, child, "small walker of dogs and ice cream." The simplicity of these images underscores her innocence and the normalcy of her life, which contrasts sharply with the horrifying reality of her illness. The description of Ruthie’s brain tumor as "that apple gone sick" is a vivid metaphor, evoking the image of a once-healthy, vibrant life now tainted by disease. The mention of her "dimple / would erase a daisy" adds to the sense of loss by highlighting her beauty and sweetness, qualities that seem tragically out of place in the context of such suffering.

The poem’s central image—Ruthie hearing "the saw lift off her skull / like a baseball cap"—is both graphic and heartbreaking. This metaphor of a skull being removed like a casual object, a baseball cap, emphasizes the violation of her innocence and the brutality of the medical procedures she must endure. The image of "the brains as / helpless as oysters in a pint container" further intensifies the sense of vulnerability and fragility, as the speaker confronts the horrifying physical reality of Ruthie’s condition.

The poem then shifts to a broader reflection on the implications of Ruthie’s suffering, invoking God’s past failures and cruelties: "you of the camps, sacking the rejoice out of Germany." This line references the Holocaust, suggesting that God’s capacity for allowing—or even orchestrating—suffering is not new, and this historical allusion adds weight to the speaker’s plea. By drawing this comparison, Sexton is not only questioning God’s benevolence but also His very role in human suffering.

The speaker’s desperation peaks as she considers the potential consequences of losing Ruthie. The mention of Ruthie’s twin, "mirror girl," who wonders "Where is the other me?" adds a layer of existential horror, as the speaker imagines the twin’s life forever shadowed by this loss. This reflection on the twin’s future underscores the far-reaching impact of Ruthie’s death, suggesting that the trauma will ripple through the lives of others in profound and lasting ways.

In the closing lines, the speaker’s plea becomes more forceful and almost defiant. She accuses God of having "lapsed," of being "bitter with the world," and questions whether He is so disillusioned with humanity that He would "put us down the drainpipe at six." The imagery of running "up into the sky and chop wood" and "find a thousand-year servant" conveys the speaker’s willingness to undertake any task, no matter how impossible, to save Ruthie. This desperation to save her, to reverse the impending doom, is framed as a battle not just for one life but for the entire world: "Banish Ruth, plump Jack, / and you banish all the world."

"Praying to Big Jack" is a powerful expression of anguish, fear, and a challenge to divine justice. Sexton’s raw and visceral language captures the speaker’s profound sense of helplessness and outrage at the possibility of losing an innocent life. The poem confronts the reader with the stark realities of suffering and the often unsatisfying answers that faith can provide in the face of such profound loss.

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