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A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF TRAUMAS AND INTRICATE
RELATIONSHIPS IN SILVIA PLATH’S DADDY
Sumamah Abdul Basit
Mphil English ,National College of Business Administration and Economics Lahore, (Sub
Campus Multan )
sumamahabdulbasit779@gmail.com
2:Mahwish Mumtaz Niazi
National University of Modern Languages Islamabad Sub Campus Multan
mahwish.niazi@numl.edu.pk
3:Azhar Hussain
Lecturer and Researcher
English Literature and. Linguistic Department ,University of Baltistan , Pakistan
azhar.hussain1196@gmail.com
4:` Iram Naeem
Punjab School Education Department
irumnaeem44@gmail.com
Abstract
This paper discusses Sylvia Plath's poem Daddy psychoanalytically, stressing unsettled grief,
repressed feelings, and the complex relationship between father and daughter. By engaging theories
of unconscious mind, repression, and the Electra complex of Sigmund Freud,this study investigates
how Plath's personal trauma and mental conflicts are reflected in her clear imagery and aggressive
language. The analysis explains the interchange between loss, emotional captivity,and the speaker's
struggle for freedom from patrimonial dominance. By revealing suppressed feelings and emphasizing
the complications of grief , this research provides a subtle comprehension of Plath's psychological
condition and her thirst for self- determination.
Keywords: Sylvia Plath, Daddy,unresolved trauma, father complex, mourning and loss
Introduction
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) is perhaps the best known American woman poet of the
twentieth century. Her poems and fiction, especially her 1963 novel The Bell Jar, are widely
taught in high schools and universities across the English-speaking world, while her Journals
and Letters constitute one of the most important Künstlerromane of a woman writer in any
era. Her name is regularly invoked in popular culture, often as shorthand for feminism,
confessionalism, or depression, and sometimes all three (Clark, 2021). Plath may ultimately
be remembered, not only for her poetry, and her role in the history of feminism, where she
was more a tool and a victim than a protagonist, but for her pioneering exploration of the
phenomenology of life and loss before birth (Owen, 2008).
Her poem Daddy is written in a powerful nursery rhyme rhythm that characterizes
several of the later poems. (Bassnett, 1987). Sylvia Plath’s Daddy remains one of the most
provocative and enduring poems of the 20th century, capturing the profound interplay
between personal grief and artistic expression. Written in 1962, shortly before her untimely
death, the poem exemplifies Plath’s confessional style, where the boundaries between the
poet’s life and her work blur. Daddy is more than an autobiographical lament. It is a journey
into the complex psychological ground of pain, trauma, and the cost of achieving freedom
from the ghosts of old. The poem has a petrol imagery and at times shocking, it takes the
coldness of Plath’s facing honesty to such a alive place. The central event of the poem is
Plath's intimate relationship with her father Otto Plath. It was to never recover from the loss
of father killed when Sylvia was just an eight year old, she privileges it and regrets it in the
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poetry. This is a father, but it is not just a personal memory. In Daddy, this is the sign of the
patriarch, authority, repression and unhealed wound. With a seemingly simple language,
Plath tells a story that outgrows its autobiographical background and touches hearts and
minds of those exposed with love, loss and nostalgia. Daddy is a full voice about the past A
method to face head on and unveil the lasting fatherhood and absence. Silvia Plath's poem
Daddy is a compelling investigation of trans-generational trauma and the convoluted
relationship that molds an identity, by looking through Sigmund Freud's psychological theory,
as well as Sigmund Freud is most famous figure in psychoanalysis is also one of the greatest
and most controversial thinkers of the last century. Sigmund Freud an Austrian born in 1856,
is commonly known as the "father" of contemporary psychology. A product of the disturbed
time in Plath's life, the poem captures the essential influence her father had on her setting into
emotional avalanche born of unconscious psychological conflicts. This evaluation will
explore the unacknowledged trauma, repression and fathers-hood discourse that enact Plath
as a writer resounding the true chaos of human emotions and fight for liberation.
Sigmund Freud's theory of The Unconscious Mind is a psychoanalytic theory
discussing that human mind is made up of conscious and unconscious behaviors. The
unconscious mind is composed of feelings, thoughts, memories and desires that are
unreachable to conscious mind which is able to influence our emotions, behavior and
inspirations. In writer's poem Daddy the unconscious mind is portrayed through deep
emotions of hatred and anger which she shows towards her father. Nonetheless, under this
evident surface, there is an unsettled deep layer of desire, grief which reflects the unconscious
mind.
Background of the Study
Sylvia Plath Daddy is a powerful emotional poem about the private agony of quite a lot,
specifically what she feels toward her father. Themes of grief, anger and unresolved pain
stuck with readers the most in this poem. This study aims to comprehend the underpinning
feelings and tension in the poem using Freud's psychoanalytic theory as a base to investigate
the hidden. Breakdown of what Plath went through allows us to better comprehend how
trauma manifests in artistic production.
Literature Review
According to Schwartz .S , our psychological journey is expressed through poetry ,
simulating various scenarios, psychology and literature together pave the way of development
and reflecting our common dramas and emotions. What is called a "dead father affect" on a
daughter is amazingly described by American poetess , Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) , her
life ,her pieces of writings . There seems to be various problems whether it is personal or
collective, when the father is absent emotionally or physically. She remains mentally
handcuffed to the dead connection. An emotional contract is made with the absence of father,
not available for catharsis as the dead father is interiorise and numbs her system.
Shulman (1998) discussed Plath's issues ,her father's demise ,her living outside the
United States, her stress from overburden ,her country . According to him, Plath's husband
was savage sometimes, and they got separated more than one time . When Plath was teaching
at Smith college, she was liked by her students but not by her colleagues . According to
Shulman , Plath had medical problems (illness, appendicitis) , and seemingly she had mix
emotions about her mother.
Beg ,M (2004) explained that Plath has irreversibly gained the cult position in the
records of modern American English poetry . Plath has proved to be unflagging poetess who
discussed her own feelings , turmoils , life events , her relationship with her father , mother ,
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husband,children generally and in particular shed light on society in a buoyant manner . Her
amazing and striking writings include The Colossus (1960), Ariel (1963), Crossing the Water
(1971), Winter Trees (1971). She left this world by committing suicide at a very young age of
thirty one but her poetry still captivates the reader constantly and irresistibly. However, her
poetry is subjective and is an expression of her mental trauma . Plath's poetry is a reflection
of her personal struggles ,mental illness, distanced relationship with her husband ,her
unsettled relationship with her parents and her own shadowy and sad vision. Most of her
poetry discusses nature of pain and tribulations, its shades, effect on human soul ,its
conclusion leading towards death . She kept writing with her pen soaked in blood of her
damaged soul ,which can be evidently seen in her writings.
Bassnett,S.(1987)told about a reading for BBC radio of Daddy' Sylvia Plath
explains:
“Here is a poem spoken by a girl with an Electra complex.Her father died
while she thought he was God.Her case is complicated by that fact that her
father was also a Nazi and her mother very possibly part Jewish.In the
daughter the two strains marry and paralyse each other-she has to act out the
awful little allegory once over before she is free of it.”
Saha (2022) explained the complicated relationship of Das and her father which she
discussed in her poem "A Requiem for Father" , Das remembers her father after his demise.
A Requiem is a song of mourning or loss which is written or performed as a tribute to a dead
person. In this song of mourning, Das expresses mixed emotions about her father. When her
father was alive, she felt diminutive in front of his colossal stature which downgraded almost
everything around him to zilch. She was so malleable in his lifetime that even after his
passing away his very demeaning condition at the time of death seems to be very in
appropriate to the prestige of the man :
"We tried so hard to hide your waist.
And,the catheter,hanging,
when once the stampede ,tugged off the intravenous tube
we got the young intern to come in a hurry.
To hack at your swollen feet and find yet another
vein to pierce,of we tried so hard to keep the prying out.
But They kept coming in droves to watch the strong man die"
(6-12)
The man who first was the owner of a prestigious stature as the first Indian managing
director of a British Luxury car company or later as the managing editor of
Mathrubhumi ,one of Kerala's highest circulation Malayalam dailies, suffered in his last
days.Das remembers how she felt at that time,“we were tonguetied,humbled and
quiet/Although within we wept for you/And more for ourselves,now without a guardian”(“A
Requiem for Father”21-23).When her father passed away she was not really a minor who
needed care ,however, she still feels that she has become someone "without guardian" and
this emotion is developed from the same practice of considering a father as the earning male
member ,the only fount of authority and protection.
Statement of the Problem
This study analyzes Sylvia Plath’s Daddy through Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic
theory to investigate the Psychological struggles and feelings involved in the poem.
Examines the relationship between Plath and her father that affects her writing, as well as
what is it like working in the shadow of unresolved trauma.
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Objectives of the Study
1. To probe the usage and purpose of confrontational language in Daddy and its role in
emotional salvation
2. On unmasking repression connected to father complex
3. To investigate the speaker finding her way out of her fathers emotional shadow
4. To examine the portrayal of Electra complex and linked repression.
Aim of the Study
This research sought to investigate the number of layers in Sylvia Plath's Daddy: as
embodiments of unchanged trauma and failed liberation, these seem to be the core of the
anxiety-wound speaker traverses. In investigation the unmasking of repression and the
obdurate father role, the aim was to unveil the psychological contending that have moulded
the speaker. The last part of the article also discussed how loss and the Electra complex
connected, as these findings had larger socius meanings in regards to familial relationships.
The following analysis shed a greater light to the extent that Plath was investigating trauma
and what it destroys on a personal level.
Scope of the Study
Sylvia Plath's Daddy as a psychological analysis from the psychoanalytic perspective
of Sigmund Freud. This paper explores its darker, psychological side and looks specifically at
the poem in terms of repression emotionally and Electra complex. Why the confrontational
language and emotional turmoil of the speaker mark a close between the patriarch and his
daughter, is what this study addresses. An investigation that will go some way towards
detailed insights about the psychological impact of Plath in general and also, how literature
depict inner conflicts, psychological processes.
Hypothesis
The idea behind this study is that Sylvia Plath's poem Daddy uses confrontational
language and images to show the separation of the psyche from the emotionally free self,
which could be a cathartic battle. It seems that these are connected to the unconscious
mind, repression and Electra complex in the poem; the speaker is struggling with his or her
father's memory and is trying to face it and share it. The study also assumes that the poem
itself is a metaphor for getting away from the depression-like fog that surrounds our father
figure.
Research Questions
How does Plath's use of confrontational language in Daddy reflect her struggle for
emotional liberation from her father's memory?
In what ways does the poem reveal the process of unmasking repression related to the
father complex?
How does the speaker navigate the process of breaking free from the emotional shadows
cast by her father's loss?
How does Daddy show the dynamics of the Electra complex and the repression related
with the father figure?
Significance of the Study
This study is important because it looks at how Sylvia Plath's Daddy shows huge
emotional and mental problems. It tries to figure out what the poem is trying to hide about
buried feelings and the speaker's confusing relationship with her father by using Freud to
explain the ideas behind his work. This research helps us see how literature can express and
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make sense of inner conflicts, providing a fresh perspective for readers, students, and scholars.
It not only deepens our understanding of Plath’s work but also highlights the power of poetry
in connecting personal pain to universal human experiences.
Research Methodology
This research exists a psychoanalytic approach to analyze the Sylvia Plath’s poem
Daddy. In this research, I used the qualitative methodology to analyze the Plath’s emotional
and psychological state with the help of Sigmund Freud’s theories of trauma, repression,
mourning, the Electra complex and melancholia. This psychoanalysis allowed for penetrating
insight of Plath's psychological condition. This qualitative approach helped me create a fuller
understanding of how experiences and psychological worlds attended by the poetry of Sylvia
Plath. Freudian method of psychoanalysis may help a more detailed analysis on how these
unconscious works were moulded into the speakers emotional outputs and poetically.
Sampling
In this study, used a purposive sampling methodology to sample Sylvia Plath's Daddy.
This text was selected because of thick thematic material connected to trauma and psycho-
biography analyses are tailored to themes ranging from madness to violence. The poem
Daddy was selected as it directly addresses paternal issues, loss and repression (central motifs
in Freud's writings). The selected text was studied with the assistance of analyzing close
reading, so as to be as in-depth into a language, image and symbol wise. It is through these
works that the research intends to expose the ways in which unconscious forces are
inextricable from the emotional responses and ultimately poetic expression of this speaker,
informing not only what we know about Plath's psychological states, but also the broader
application of psychoanalytic literary criticism.
Data Collection Procedure
For a psychoanalytic analysis of Sylvia Plath Daddy, this research used a systematic
data collection to determine the needed texts and contextual information. Plath's primary texts
were first procured from standard editions of her work, specifically focusing on the poem
Daddy for text alignment like this specific title. This text was chosen for the thematic
connection into trauma and the psychological dilemmas Plath wrestles with in her writing.
The poems came from literary collection of print and digital libraries in order that the texts of
record could be used in the analysis.
Having retrieved these texts, a close reading of the poem was carried out to identify
important themes, symbols and emotional nuances. This process entailed multiple readings of
Plath's poem in order to parse out any motifs repeating and significant vocabulary that
necessarily connected to the psychological state of Plath at the time. Further, source
secondary critical essays and psychoanalytic literature were consulted for further support and
background to the analysis. These sources formed a theoretical basis for interpreting Plath
through the conversation of Freud as he theorized trauma, repression, and Electra. The
combination of primary text analysis and secondary literature review ensured a
comprehensive understanding of the intricate relationship between Plath's poetry and her
psychological experiences.
Delimitation of the study
This study focuses on the poetry from Sylvia Plath's Daddy (1965). The main target is
about the trauma and loss of parental experience, bringing psychological implications, as well
developmental difficulties of identity work; all other themes like feminism and existentialism
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are excluded on purpose so as to have a concentrated analysis other grounds can be found.
The research is qualitative in method, meant for close reading and thematic analysis and not
quantitative to allow a thorough examination of the texts.
Data Analysis
In this analysis I look at a few of the complex themes in Sylvia Plath poetry, calling
attention both to pervasive trauma and to the process of liberation. Uncovering repression and
the father complex is a step toward understanding how Plath's psyche was woven into her
output. Also, the critique will look at the speaker found liberating herself from the shadows
of loss all the sustenance that comes from hurting emotionally. The interplay of the Electra
complex and the father's repression serves to further illuminate those deep conflicts bubbling
underneath Plath. Here, I hope best elude Plath's poetic labyrinth and the numerous layers of
meaning that gave shape to her search for self once more.
Unresolved Trauma and the Struggle for Liberation
Plath's poem Daddy realistically shows Plath's emotional response towards her
father's death along with hostile imagery and confrontational language. The poem begins with
the lines:
You do not do, you do not do
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot (lines 1-3).
This metaphor presents the father as a tyrannical figure depicting that his memory has been
confining and choking for Plath . Freud's theory of psychoanalysis says that unresolved
trauma is evident through symbolic representations and in Daddy it is clear that Plath
channels her unsettled trauma often through harsh imagery. The father seems to be portrayed
as " Colossus " and is compared with a " Nazi " (lines 11,22) revealing her emotional
encounters.
In addition,the theme of authority and control is also being explored in this poem.
Plath used sharp and disturbing metaphors to portray her father as an oppressive figure .For
example, she writes:
I was ten when they buried you.
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back,
back to you (lines 45-47)
Plath's feeling of desertion and emotional suffering is expressed through these lines . The
reference to attempted suicide can be seen as an example of strong impact of her father's
memory upon her,which leads her to psychological grief and ensnare.
In the closure of the poem, where Plath announces
Daddy, Daddy, you bastard,I’m through (line 56)
This line highlights a moment of freedom and determination. By stating that she is
"through" her father ,Plath portrays a wish to be free from persisting emotional entrapment
from the memory of her father.This final announcement can be seen as attempt to claim back
her own identity and self determination , separate from the domineering presence of her
father .
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Unmasking Repression and the Father Complex
Plath's Daddy is a strong depiction of subconscious ideas and suppressed emotions
as it explores the unclear and ongoing trauma of speaker's father's death . Freud's theory of
repression which deals with shoving the aching emotions into the subconscious ,is profoundly
portrayed in this poem. There seems to be push-pull mechanism of subdued emotions present
in the poem as the speaker both glamorize and hate her father . The imagery of the "black
shoe " in which speaker has " lived like a foot" (line 2) for thirty years indicate the choking
effect of suppression where her unsettled trauma has become an emotional burden .
The unconscious ideas in the poem also whirl around domination and power
specially how speaker unknowingly views her father as a domination figure . Giving her
father the title of Nazi and herself Jew suggest a metaphor which creates a rhetorical
depiction of suppression ,and exasperation and anxiety she feels towards her father. The line:
Every woman adores a Fascist (line 48)
This line presents the speaker's unintended attraction to superior male figures depicting that
the death of her father left an unsettled wish for affection, love, domination intermixed with
indignation. This suffering is deeply embedded in her mind .
Freud's theory of repression can be observed in the poem Daddy as speaker harbors
suppressed emotions towards her father in figurative and excessive ways . The climax of the
poem where speaker announces:
Daddy, Daddy, you bastard, I’m through (line 80)
This line indicating a psychological development. This brutal abdication of her father
represents an attempt to chop off his domination over her subconscious mind for years . In
resisting her suppressed emotions speaker tries to break free from the psychological chains of
her father's memory ,though it does not seem completely victorious.
Breaking Free from the Shadows of Loss
The central theme of the poem Daddy is the speaker's process of mourning over her
father's death, as she resists deep rooted emotional scars caused by his omission in her life.
An amalgamation of anguish and trauma is expressed by the speaker instead of glamorizing
him ,which depicts the complication of lamentation process. The line, "I was ten when they
buried you" indicates how her trauma has been a long lasting burden for her . This
lamentation is not only for the unvarnished loss of her father but also for the psychological
damage of her personality as his death has formed her self - image.
The speaker compares herself to a prisoner in "barb snare wire" as she depicts
herself as a victim of her father's reminiscence. This metaphor suggests the entanglement of
suffering,in which the reminiscence of the departed becomes a repressive force. In this poem ,
how the speaker tries to rise above the shadow of her father , obsessed with the lost soul,
leads us towards Freud's theory of melancholia, where the sufferer remains fixated on a lost
object. She accepts saying " I used to pray to recover you" indicating her useless and frantic
attempts to revive his father's existence,even as it frightens her.
Finally, the speaker's announcement,"So daddy, I'm finally through" highlights a
turning point in her lamentation citation. It indicates her psychological retrieval, as she
repudiate her emotional dependence on her father. This moment of liberation is not calm ,but
signifies anguish and resistance. However, it is a mandatory step for the speaker to start
recovering as she sets her self free from past's chains of emotions on her personality.
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Electra Complex and Repression of Father Figure
In the poem Daddy, with the help of psychoanalytic theory we can observe how
Plath uses her father both as a figure of glamorization as well as of terror and suppression.
The way Plath is fixated on her father's supremacy in the poem suggest the presence of
Electra complex here, in which a daughter has unconscious rivalry with her mother to gain
her father's attention and affection. The reiteration of
You do not do
You do not do
Suggest that the speaker is unable to part from the image of her father who rules over
her psychic landscape even in death.
In addition, the poem's shocking conclusion in which Plath announces:
They are dancing and stamping on you.
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy you bastard , I'm through
This line indicates not only an emotional release but also the complicated feelings
attached to suppression and unsettled trauma. Freud's notion on the death drive and
reiteration can be observed in the poem as the speaker of the poem repeat the grieving
memory of her father in various forms , eventually gaining psychological liberation by
opposing his supremacy.
Inferences
The research examines the complexities inherent in Sylvia Plath's Daddy, specifically
the conflict between repression and emotional release. The speaker's forceful position and
vivid imagery suggest a fierce struggle against the repression of paternal memories. The
poem has evident psychological conflicts, including Electra complexes, as the speaker
struggles to express his repressed emotions. These findings highlight Plath's profound
capacity to transform personal suffering into universal insights about psychology and
emotional catharsis. Rejected children exhibit aggression and emotional unresponsiveness,
highlighting the impact of perceived rejection on their development (Sarfaraz et al., 2024).
Further Recommendations for Future Research
Here, I examine Sylvia Plath's Daddy with the help of psychological models that shed
light on repression, emotional liberation and complex relationship with father. Additionally,
more research could build on these ideas to provide a more in-depth look at how similar
themes appear in Plath's other works, which would provide a more accurate picture of her
mental illness. There may be more useful literary works that deal with family conflict than
Daddy. Comparative studies between the two might be successful. Additionally, combining
different fields of study, like psychological theory with feminism or cultural analysis, to
better understand this tough topic. Additionally, researchers could look into how Plath's
writing relates to modern issues of identity and trauma, making the results more relevant to
today's audience.
Conclusion
Finally, Daddy by Sylvia Plath is a deep look at unresolved trauma, repression, grief,
and the complicated processes of the Electra complex through the lens of psychoanalytic
theory. By looking at the speaker's relationship with her father, the poem shows how her
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deepest grief and repressed feelings still affect her and shape her mind. Freud's ideas about
trauma, repression, and melancholia help us understand the speaker's inner conflict. She uses
violent images and symbolic language as a way to let off steam, but her unresolved grief
keeps her from being completely free. The speaker's trouble remembering her father shows
how complicated grief is and how hard it is to let go of past trauma. This suggests that
psychological healing is an ongoing process rather than a simple conclusion.
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