Medusa - Sylvia Plath

so i actually did this wrong in terms of ordering by answering posts first instead of posting so i apologize that this is kind of late.

but the poem i chose to discuss was Medusa by Sylvia Plath.

while at first i thought at least half of this poem talked about how much Plath loved her mother, i'm starting to think now that it's the opposite. actually, i'm almost 100% sure that this is about how much Plath hates her mother.

when we look at some of her beginning stanzas;

"Off that landspit of stony mouth-plugs,
Eyes rolled by white sticks,
Ears cupping the sea's incoherences,
You house your unnerving head-God-ball,
Lens of mercies

[...]

Did I escape, I wonder?
My mind winds to you
Old barnacled umbilicus, Atlantic cable,"

this sounds like a very repulsive and frightening sea creature rather than a mother. she describes her as grotesque, unnerving; and she wonders if she's escaped from her. and let's look a little later into the poem;

"I didn't call you.
I didn't call you at all.
Nevertheless, nevertheless
You steamed to me over the sea,
Fat and red, a placenta"

this to me sounds like she's saying, "i didn't ask to be born, and yet you brought me into this world, you brought me to you". or perhaps she's saying no matter how many times i try to be rid of you, you're always there, and you won't just leave me alone, and approach me like the monster you are.

"Ghastly Vatican.
I am sick to death of hot salt.
Green as eunuchs, your wishes
Hiss at my sins.
Off, off, eely tentacle!
There is nothing between us."

her mother's expectations of her, or her mother's mannerisms or "holier-than-thou" attitude seems to make Plath sick; anything but loving and grateful. she is tired of her, no longer afraid so much as fed up or exasperated. "off, eely tentacle"; stop clinging to me, stop trying to stifle me, stop trying to control me, capture me, trap me, harm me. there is no relationship here. i'm really, really happy that there was finally a poem talking about how relationships with mothers can also be harmful and somewhat toxic and complicated instead of praised as something abnormally nurturing and loving.