Write a Critical Appreciation of the Poem “The Rival.”

Answer

Write a critical appreciation of the poem “The Rival.”

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) wrote the poem “The Rival” on January 21, 1962. It was published after her death in her famous collection Ariel (1965). The poem is written in Plath’s confessional style, where she expresses her deep personal feelings with honesty. In this poem, Plath addresses a person she calls her “rival.” Critics argue the rival may be her husband, Ted Hughes. Plath suffered from depression, and she had a tumultuous relationship with her husband. This poem shows feelings of jealousy, bitterness, and pain.

The Rival—Beautiful but Destructive: The poem begins with a comparison between the rival and the moon. The speaker says:

“If the moon smiled, she would resemble you.”

The moon is beautiful, but it has no light of its own. It only borrows light from the sun. The speaker says the rival is the same. The rival takes attention and glory from others. The moon looks sad with its “O-mouth,” but the rival is careless and without feelings. This shows that the rival is both attractive and destructive at the same time.

The Rival Makes Life Empty and Lifeless: In the second stanza, the speaker says that the rival’s “first gift is making stone out of everything.” It means the rival’s presence makes life hard and empty. The speaker feels like waking up in a tomb. This image shows lifelessness and emptiness. The rival sits tapping on a marble table and looking for cigarettes. He seems spiteful and ready to say something cruel that cannot be answered. This shows the rival’s power to hurt the speaker deeply.

A Toxic and Suffocating Influence: The rival’s complaints and dissatisfaction arrive “through the mailslot with loving regularity.” These letters look harmless, “white and blank,” but they are compared to “carbon monoxide,” a deadly gas that kills silently. This image shows how the rival’s words and presence are toxic, invisible,