Housewife - A poem by Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton - Housewife

Some women marry houses.
It's another kind of skin; it has a heart, 
a mouth, a liver and bowel movements.
The walls are permanent and pink.
See how she sits on her knees all day, 
faithfully washing herself down.
Men enter by force, drawn back like Jonah
into their fleshy mothers.
A woman is her mother.
That's the main thing.

Added: on November 4th, 2005 at 4:35 PM | Viewed: 18272 times | Comments and analysis of Housewife by Anne Sexton Comments (5)

Housewife - Comments and Information
Poet: Anne Sexton (Anne Sexton Art) Poem: Housewife Poem of the Day: Sep 3 2005 Comment 5 of 5, added on October 27th, 2008 at 2:42 PM. What I have forgotten and want to add is that the title of the poem "Housewife" is also a pun. It suggests that after getting married to a man, the woman becomes the 'wife' of the 'house' rather than the 'wife' of the husband. dilek gülsen from Turkey Comment 4 of 5, added on October 27th, 2008 at 2:17 PM. This poem suggests that women are not actually getting married to men but to their accomodations. The houses in which women start to live after their marriage, become their real life partners with whom they actually share their lives. In order to show this,the persona attributes human qualities to the houses, which replace men's position in the married women's lives.The last four lines of the poem imply that men become intimate with their wives only when they are forced by their sexual instincts.The word "fleshy" has a sexual connotation in this sense.The wife is also likened to the mother, because after a man's separation from his mother, the wife becomes the one who continues to fulfill his demands. dilek from Turkey Comment 3 of 5, added on November 4th, 2005 at 4:35 PM. I am a housewife and know of what Anne speaks. (suicide runs in my family) Although I believe we all have compromises to make (the men do as well), we need to find our true selves and why we do the things we do. Life is not easy (sounds cliche') and we need to not take it for granted that it is. We need to look deeper and if LIFE is not what we want we need to delve into that. It's not an easy path. We all are different with different gifts. Find your gift. I haven't yet found mine and I am flawed. But I still seek it. Please don't despair. You are not alone. Sally Pratt from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Housewife, has received 5 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Anne Sexton with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Anne Sexton Poem: Housewife Last read: Dec 9 2009, 4:00PM Poem of the Day: Sep 3 2005 Viewed 18272 times. Added on November 4th, 2005 at 4:35 PM.

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