What Impression of the Battle of Sexes or Rivalry Find in Sylvia Plath’s Poem, ‘The Rival’?

Impression of the Battle of Sexes or Rivalry Find in Sylvia Plath’s Poem, ‘The Rival’

Battle of sexes is one of the favorite themes of Sylvia Plath’s poetry. ‘The Rival’, although the title is ironic, presents two warring figures, husband and wife. In fact, the disintegration of family life due to lack of mutual understanding or polarization is a prominent feature of the western life-pattern in the modern age.

 

Sylvia Plath uses the oldest of devices, the coldness of the moon, to convey the cold relation between husband and wife. Traditionally the moon is associated with femininity, but for her the moon is not a symbol of fertility. Instead it signifies barren coldness, indifference or selfishness. ‘The Rival’ beings with the picture of a cold and barren moon which reflects the cold and indifferent relation between husband and wife. Outwardly the husband is life the moon, very enlightened but inwardly very cold and barren life the moon.

The speaker wife alleges that her husband is stone-hearted and makes every issue complex. As a result, she is leading a death-like existence but he is spiteful and careless. The moon seems to mock the people with its borrowed light at night but during day time it appears ridiculous. Like the moon the husband abuses her with his artificial love and becomes a ridiculous figure when he is exposed to light. His complaint against her is a regular feature which is destructive as ‘carbon monoxide’. So, although he is far away from her, the very news of his makes her life insecure.