Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Imitations of Drowning" by Anne Sexton is a harrowing exploration of fear, mortality, and the overwhelming sensation of drowning—not just in water, but in the existential dread that permeates life. Sexton uses the metaphor of drowning to symbolize the inescapable fears that stalk the human experience, fears that ultimately drive us toward the edge of sanity and survival. Through vivid imagery and stark confessions, the poem delves into the mind's struggle with impending doom, capturing both the physical and psychological aspects of drowning.

The poem opens with the speaker acknowledging a fear of drowning that has kept her preoccupied, as if bargaining with this fear could somehow stave it off. The phrase "fear of being that alone" suggests that the fear of drowning is not just a physical threat but also a profound isolation, a loneliness so intense that it becomes synonymous with death itself. Sexton conveys the futility of trying to escape this fear, as the speaker admits that her efforts only worked temporarily—"for two years and all of July." This temporal limitation emphasizes the inevitability of confronting the fear head-on.

In August, the speaker begins to dream of drowning, and these dreams are detailed with a chilling clarity. The water in the dream is described as "white and clear as the gin I drink each day at half-past five," merging the mundane with the terrifying. The comparison to gin suggests a daily ritual of coping, perhaps hinting at a reliance on alcohol to numb the fears that surface in the speaker's consciousness. The act of drowning is depicted as a slow, inevitable descent—"going down for the last time"—where the speaker grapples with "eels like ropes," a nightmarish image that blurs the line between reality and surrealism.

As the drowning progresses, Sexton introduces the "scavengers," creatures that come to "clean up the ocean floor" after the speaker has succumbed. This imagery of scavengers, coupled with the phrase "death, that old butcher," portrays death as both a predator and a disposer, a force that strips away the remnants of life without ceremony. The speaker's relief at the prospect that "death... will bother me no more" suggests a resigned acceptance, a desire for release from the relentless fear that has plagued her.

The poem then shifts to a reflection on past dreams of drowning, specifically recalling the speaker's parents "clung to rafts / and sat together for death." The image of the parents frozen "like lewd photographs" underscores the morbidity and helplessness associated with the dream. Sexton questions the significance of dreams, acknowledging that they are often dismissed as mere symbols, but she emphasizes that the fear embedded in these dreams is real and potent. The mention of the "arm I almost lost in the washroom wringer" adds a personal anecdote of near-disaster, further illustrating how fear permeates even the most mundane aspects of life.

Sexton then contrasts the symbolic nature of dreams with the reality of drowning, asserting that "real drowning is for someone else. It's too big / to put in your mouth on purpose." Here, she underscores the uncontrollable nature of true fear, which cannot be neatly contained or dismissed. The description of drowning as an experience that "puts hot stingers / in your tongue and vomit in your nose as your lungs break" is visceral and unsettling, capturing the physical agony and panic that accompany the act of drowning.

The poem culminates in the realization that fear itself is a relentless force, likened to a "motor" that drives the speaker around in circles until she fades away, "an old bicycle rider / whose odds are measured / in actuary graphs." This metaphor highlights the inevitability of death and the statistical calculations that quantify human life, reducing it to numbers and probabilities. The final stanza brings the poem full circle, with the speaker's struggle against the waves and the eventual, humiliating rescue where she is "dribbling urine on the gritty shore." The imagery here is raw and unflinching, emphasizing the loss of dignity in the face of overpowering fear.

The poem concludes with a stark truth: "There is no news in fear / but in the end it's fear / that drowns you." Sexton acknowledges that fear is an omnipresent, ordinary aspect of life, yet it holds the power to overwhelm and consume. In "Imitations of Drowning," Sexton masterfully weaves together the physical and psychological dimensions of fear, creating a powerful meditation on the inescapable nature of human anxiety and the ways in which it can suffocate the soul.

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