[Mother, psychiatric patient, poet. Contradictions in the roles of Anna Sexton].

Abstract

Anne Sexton began writing poetry during psychiatric treatment following a severe episode of depression, on the advice of her psychiatrist, and went on to become one of the most celebrated among the so-called confessional poets. Her oeuvre offers insight into the emotional struggles of a middle-class woman living in 1950s and 1960s Ame - rica, with poems exploring previously scandalous themes such as female sexuality, domestic violence and mental ill - ness. The latter is the focus of this paper. Anne Sexton suffered from mental problems, more specifically bipolar disorder, which was accompanied by addiction to alcohol and various medicines. She was unable to come to terms with the trauma she may have suffered in childhood, and she herself abused her children later on. Her inner struggles are reflected in her poetry, which she began to write as a therapeutic acticity. Her poems give us a glimpse into the more intimate struggles of her being, which she was unable to resolve in this way - and so she ended her life.