Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Bestiary U.S.A.: Cockroach" is a striking meditation on one of nature's most reviled creatures, exploring themes of loathing, fear, and unexpected compassion. The poem juxtaposes the instinctual repulsion humans feel toward cockroaches with a deeper reflection on their symbolic role as outcasts, punished and maligned by divine wrath. Through vivid imagery and an ironic twist, Sexton challenges the reader to reconsider the nature of this loathed creature, ultimately suggesting a subversive form of empathy.

The poem opens with a harsh, almost visceral condemnation of the cockroach: "Roach, foulest of creatures, / who attacks with yellow teeth / and an army of cousins big as shoes." The use of "foulest" and the imagery of "yellow teeth" create an immediate sense of disgust and menace. The comparison of the roaches to "lumps of coal that are mechanized" evokes a sense of something unnatural, cold, and relentless, emphasizing their inhuman and almost mechanical persistence. The image of them "scuttl[ing] into the corners" when the light is turned on highlights their status as creatures of the dark, those who exist in the shadows and are repelled by illumination and exposure.

Despite this initial depiction of the cockroach as an object of fear and disgust, Sexton soon shifts the tone by introducing a mythic, almost sympathetic backstory. The cockroach is described as "the common angel / turned into, by way of enchantment, the ugliest." This line suggests that the cockroach was once something divine, a creature of light and grace, now cursed and transformed into something grotesque. Sexton attributes this transformation to a divine punishment, stating that the cockroach's fate was sealed because it "lied to God outrightly" by claiming that "all things on earth were in order." This lie, which falsely assured divine satisfaction, incurs God's wrath, leading to the cockroach being made "the most loathsome," condemned to live as a physical embodiment of deception and ugliness.

The poem then explores the consequences of this curse, with Sexton noting that "never will a little girl fondle you / or hold your dark wings cupped in her palm." This image highlights the extent of the cockroach’s ostracization; it is a creature that is not only unloved but also unlovable, forever denied the tenderness and affection that other creatures, even those once transformed, might receive. The cockroach becomes "God's lie," a perpetual reminder of the divine wrath it provoked.

However, Sexton introduces a surprising twist to this narrative. She recounts an experience in New Orleans where, contrary to the established myth, a young girl did indeed hold a cockroach. When the speaker shrieks in fear at the sight of the roach, the girl "picked it up / in her hands and held it from my fear for one hour." The girl’s action subverts the curse, suggesting that even the most loathed creatures can find compassion and protection. The roach is held "like a diamond ring that should not escape," a simile that elevates the insect from something repulsive to something precious and worth preserving. This act of tenderness challenges the notion that the cockroach is beyond redemption or love, revealing that even the most reviled beings can inspire acts of unexpected kindness.

In the final lines, Sexton broadens the scope of this subversive empathy by noting that "even the devil is getting overturned / and held up to the light like a glass of water." This image suggests a reevaluation of all that is considered evil or unworthy. The devil, much like the cockroach, is being reconsidered, examined not as a figure of pure malevolence but as something more complex, something that might also be deserving of understanding or compassion. The glass of water symbolizes clarity and purity, implying that even those who are condemned might have aspects that, when viewed in the right light, reveal a different, perhaps more redeeming, nature.

"Bestiary U.S.A.: Cockroach" is a complex exploration of loathing, punishment, and the possibility of redemption. Through her vivid, often uncomfortable imagery, Sexton compels the reader to confront their instinctual repulsion and consider the cockroach’s symbolic role as an outcast punished by divine decree. Yet, by introducing the act of a young girl who holds the cockroach with care, Sexton suggests that even those deemed loathsome and unworthy might still inspire acts of compassion and might deserve a reevaluation of their inherent worth. The poem ultimately serves as a meditation on the nature of revulsion and empathy, challenging us to reconsider the boundaries between the cursed and the blessed, the loathed and the loved.

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