The Moon and The Yew Tree — Sylvia Plath — IB English Literature (2015)
In ‘The Moon and Yew Tree’, Sylvia Plath presents herself once again as a victim of her circumstances. This is a similar case in some of the other poems she has written like ‘Daddy’, where she compares herself with a Jew in the holocaust as well as in ‘Morning Song’, where she’s a mother dwelling upon her maternal struggles. In this poem, Plath is in despair due to her inability to find consolation in her surroundings and the two components of the poem’s title are symbols of the figures she takes no comfort in. Still, none of the other poems I mentioned involve such a strong sense of place, and the title of the poem immediately ensconces the reader into its setting.
Many critics have said that the point of the poem is to illustrate the relationships Plath had with the three most important and influential people in her life: her dead father, her mother who offered her minimal support and her elusive husband Hughes.
The moon is associated with femininity, and its significance in this poem is evident by its precedence in the poem’s title. In line 17, the speaker asserts that “The moon is [her] mother, and “How [she] would like to believe in tenderness”. Here, Plath presents the moon, this mother-like figure, as profoundly insensitive, and the modal ‘would’ confirms the speaker’s lack of faith in the tenderness she hopes for the moon to provide. In the first line of poem the poet describes the moon as “cold and planetary” and in the first line of the second stanza she declares the moon as being “no door”, in both these lines, she ascribes the moon with negative qualities, offering ‘no door’, that is, no opportunity for solace and comfort that would be expected of a mother. In line 17, she states that “She [the moon] is not sweet like Mary” and that “Her blue garments unloose small bats and owls”. Here, the moon is further depicted as unloving signified by the contrast made between Mary whom represents the “tenderness” which the poet alludes to earlier, and the dark and destructive nature of the moon represented by the nocturnal animals: “bats” and “owls”, the moon releases. This powerful and destructive portrayal of the moon has even lead critics to compare the moon to the female Muse, who is an antithesis of Mary who is by contrast often perceived as being tender and gentle.
The role of men and religion in Plath’s life is another significant theme in this poem. To many, the yew tree is seen as a male figure, and is associated with blackness and death throughout the poem. In line 15, the speaker describes how the yew tree “points up” and has “a Gothic shape”, which presents it as aloof and unresponsive since it “points” away from itself, and much like the moon which is described as “cold”, the poet cannot confide in it. This line is also an example of the poet’s use of phallic imagery to emphasise the tree’s masculinity. The fact that the speaker only mentions the Yew tree twice throughout the poem suggest just how (missing). The poet’s own disillusionment with religion is palpable. She declares in line 22 that she has “fallen a long way” from her faith, and the bleak nature of this tree is illustrated by the “Gothic” form it takes since nineteenth-century gothic architecture and literature is often characterised as being dark and menacing. In line 24, the speaker says “Inside the church, the saints will all be blue — — Floating on their delicate feet over the cold pews”. Much like the portrayal of the tree discussed above, religion is presented here as inward-looking and unsympathetic to the poet, which is reinforced by the dull mood evoked by the colour “blue” used to described the saints.
Despite the speaker’s inability to find solace in both the moon and religion, there is still a sense of female rebellion and the poet’s own sense of empowerment. In line 3 of the first stanza, the speaker comments that “The grasses unload their griefs on my feet as if I were God/ … murmuring of their humility”. Here, the poet imitates god (or goddess) giving her some power while undermining the traditional male God, which further adds to her condemnation of conventional religious attitudes of her time. Throughout the poem the moon is designated as a goddess possessing tremendous power. For example, in line 18 the moon “unloose[s] small bats and owls”. The combination of Mary and a witch, another powerful, if destructive, female icon serves to reinforce the image of female empowerment.
