A matter of life and death

Both Plath and Sexton presented an interesting level of duality in their work. They seemed to curse their own lives and praise that of their children. While the notion of praising one’s child is common, the extent to which they discussed their own planned deaths was not. People do not really like to think about dying. Most see it as an end, Plath and Sexton seemed to view it as an escape. This idea opposes the common notion of death. Death is normally seen as confining. Once one dies, he cannot come or leave, he is trapped within a box six feet underground, it is not an escape but rather a trap.