Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s poem "The Stand-Ins" presents a vivid, unsettling exploration of the symbols of the Swastika and the Cross, deeply embedding these potent emblems in a dreamscape that blurs the lines between history, personal memory, and the collective trauma of humanity. The poem opens with the stark, jarring image of a neon swastika, its presence described as a strobe light that assaults the speaker's senses with "all colors, / all vibrations." The choice of the Swastika as a central image immediately evokes the horrors of the Holocaust and the broader associations with Nazi ideology, making the poem's opening a confrontation with a past that remains painfully present.

The repetitive, almost hypnotic mention of "an oven" recalls the crematoria of the Holocaust, where millions of Jews and others were murdered. The image of the Yellow Star being placed on a pie plate and then into the oven is a stark metaphor for the dehumanization and destruction that marked the Holocaust. By reducing this symbol of Jewish identity to something as mundane as a pie plate, Sexton underscores the grotesque banality of evil—the way in which such immense suffering could be industrialized, normalized, and rendered almost routine. The repetition of "oven" amplifies the horror, each repetition a reminder of the systematic nature of the genocide.

Yet, this dream does not linger in the Holocaust. The scene shifts abruptly to a stage where the Cross appears, with Jesus "sticking to it." The transition from the Swastika to the Cross introduces a complex juxtaposition of symbols—both represent profound suffering, but they are also tied to different narratives and histories. Jesus, "breathing / and breathing," becomes a living presence on the Cross, a figure who, in Christian theology, embodies both the start and end of salvation. His whispered words—"This is the start. / This is the end. / This is a light. / This is a start."—suggest a cyclical nature to suffering and redemption, a continuum where beginnings and endings are intertwined, much like the perpetual cycle of violence and renewal in history.

The dream sequence ends abruptly as the speaker awakens in the "thick scum" of the night, a phrase that captures the oppressive, murky atmosphere of the early morning hours when clarity and understanding are elusive. The speaker's reflection on the dreams—both the Swastika and the Crucifix—leads to a moment of dismissal, encapsulated in the lines, "Oh well, / it doesn't belong to me, / if a cigar can be a cigar / then a dream can be a dream. / Right? / Right?" This reference to Sigmund Freud’s famous remark about cigars implies a desire to trivialize the dream, to strip it of any deeper significance, perhaps as a defense mechanism against the disturbing implications of the symbols.

However, the repetition of "Right?" suggests doubt, a lingering unease that belies the speaker’s attempt at dismissal. The question hangs in the air, unresolved, indicating that the dream's imagery cannot be so easily brushed aside. The poem closes with the speaker returning to sleep, and with it, "another start," reinforcing the cyclical nature of the poem's themes—suffering, questioning, and the search for meaning in the face of incomprehensible horror.

In "The Stand-Ins," Sexton uses the dream as a vehicle to confront some of the most harrowing symbols of human suffering—the Swastika and the Crucifix. By placing these symbols in the context of a dream, she highlights the way in which history’s traumas permeate the subconscious, refusing to be forgotten or trivialized. The poem’s structure, with its abrupt transitions and repetitive elements, mirrors the disorienting nature of the dream state, where symbols and meanings shift fluidly, defying easy interpretation. Ultimately, the poem leaves the reader with a sense of unease, as the speaker’s attempts to rationalize the dream fall short, and the dark undercurrents of history continue to ripple through the consciousness.

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