“Marys Song” by Sylvia Plath is an outstanding work of literature. It takes a simple, poetic text and transforms it into something much richer and more meaningful. The author makes this masterpiece even more powerful by weaving historical and spiritual elements throughout it. If you read this book, you are going to experience something that most of us will never experience: closure.
This book was written while Plath was in a coma following the death of her mother. She had lost all sense of herself and thought that she would die before finishing the writing. However, a chance meeting with an editor inspired her to complete this masterpiece. During this time, Plath’s strength and humor were growing and the poem she wrote while in this coma was transformed into one of her most beautiful pieces ever. After the editor cut several portions out, she re-rewrote the poem and sent it to the publisher.
This beautiful poem was published as a single tome and was known as “A Boy’s Life.” Several years later, Plath received an award from the Writer’s Guild for her work in this genre. This award gave her the chance to pursue a career as a writer, which she did for the next 12 years. Her many awards for her poetry only served to fuel her desire to write more.
“Marys Song” tells the story of a boy named Adam. He is born into a poor family in 1820. When he is very young, his father dies and he is left to live on his own. He spends most of his early years in the farmhouse with his younger brother, Jake. One day, when Jake attempts to wash the dishes, a freak accident occurs which leaves him paralyzed and unable to move.
Because of this, when Marys Song begins, she is unable to find the words to communicate her feelings to her loved ones. She is also unable to tell her brother what has happened to him. Throughout the poem, she tries to communicate her frustration and loneliness through various forms of expression, including song.
In this particular poem, Marys Song describes a number of different scenes throughout Jake’s life. At the beginning of the poem, she recites a familiar story about her time living in a farmhouse. Then, the following scene shows her in a grocery store. At the end of the poem, she is sitting in the backseat of a car in a field. Finally, she is sitting in a ditch where she is able to look at a sign advertising a place called “The Little shop.”
The Little Shop is where Marys Song finds comfort and solace. After she recites the words to a familiar tune, the reader realizes that it is this very song that plays a major role in her life. This song has helped to define her personality and what she liked most about her life as it relates to helping others. The Little Shop became a mainstay in her life, even forming a sort of sanctuary away from home where she was able to relax and gather her strength.
The Rose Tree is another interesting piece of the puzzle that has been left behind by the tragic death of Princess Diana. In this poem, Marys Song gives us a glimpse into the life of Rose, a woman who shared the exact same birthday as Princess Diana and was close to her. When Rose passed away, she left a poem inside of a bottle for all of us to read. The last lines of the poem read, “To live is to love is to know.”
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