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Plath and Hughes Comparison-Theme of identity
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A/A* Level essay comparison on the theme of nature within Plath's 'Wuthering Heights' and 'Thought Fox', by Hughes
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Theme of IdentityPoems used- Wuthering heights and Thought Fox
Both Plath and Hughes present the theme of identity interlinking with their natural surroundings in
both ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘The Thought Fox.’ However, as Plath describes her landscape, real
surroundings, critics have questioned whether the ‘fox’ within Hughes’ poem, is reality or a figment
of Hughes’ imagination in forming the speaker’s identity.
Plath’s ‘Wuthering Heights’, is laced with imagery reflecting the speaker’s troubled mind as she is at
war with nature. The poem is also coloured by Plath’s battle with depression. Additionally, the
reference to ‘Heights’ in the title mirrors the speaker’s vertical position within the horizontal
landscape of her surroundings reinforced within the quotation ‘Among the horizontals’. The verb
‘Wuthering’ infers strong winds and can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the societal pressures
of being a Woman as well as Plath’s suicidal thoughts. ‘Wuthering Heights’ was written after Plath
had returned from a visit from her in-laws with her daughter. This may reflect the bleak tone of the
poem as Plath cannot fit in with human company. Moreover, linking into Plath’s belief in paganism
and the natural world- yet being at war with it. The poem is in a regular nine-line stanza structure
mirroring the persona’s mind and routineness of cynical thoughts. Moreover, paradoxical imagery is
introduced within the quotation ‘the horizons ring me like faggots tilted and disparate,’ reinforcing
the personas troubled mind. The large image of the horizon to small image of sticks; belittling the
speaker’s mind of the significance of her surroundings. The verb ‘disparate’ echoes despair
emphasising how nature is against her. This further enforced in the second stanza through the
quotation ‘the wind pours by like destiny.’ The simile suggests entrapment as nature asserts its
power over the persona and governs her actions. The verb ‘pours’ likens the wind to water and
connotes the wind to be a driving force against the speaker. The wind may also be perceived as an
extended metaphor alluding to depression and suicidal thoughts. Within the quotation ‘only dissolve
and dissolve like a series of promises,’ the repetition of the verb ‘dissolve’ enhances the speaker’s
feelings of bitterness as dissolution is a process of gradual conversion, not instant change which is
illustrated in the repetition, elongating the line. ‘The enjambment showcases the proof of possibility
between the horizon and promises which are deemed false. Some critics argue that these ‘series of
promises’ are from Plath’s marriage to Hughes- who broke their wedding vows through an affair
reflecting Critic Axelrod statement of ‘Plath’s poems seethe with anger, hope and disappointment’.
Furthermore, Plath’s loss of identity is characterised through nature’s control over her thoughts as
she believes nature is inviting her to her death through her all-consuming thoughts of loneliness,
alienation, and inability to fit in anywhere. In contrast, while Plath utilises nature in a failure to
forming an identity, Hughes succeeds in achieving an identity through nature in his imagination
within his ‘The Thought Fox’. Within certain cultures a fox is perceived as a familiar soul associated
with magic. The hyphenated title presents a significant thought not usually associated with animals.
It may be questioned whether or not the fox is a figment of Hughes’ imagination or reality. Hughes
claimed within his academic study of Literature, his creativity had been stifled. The thought fox had
been Hughes’ first animal poem highlighting its importance. It can be suggested that the fox is a
symbol for the renewal of Hughes’ imaginative powers. The structure of Hughes’ poem is in six
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