17 pages • 34 minutes read
Daddy
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Symbols & Motifs
Swastika
The swastika is the ultimate symbol of the Nazi-Jew relationship, which Plath invokes throughout the poem. It is not until Stanza 10 that Plath mentions “Not God but a swastika” (Line 46), comparing her father to a member of the Nazi party over a Godly figure, essentially how she viewed him when she was a young girl. On the surface, Nazis and God seem like a juxtaposition, or contrast. However, upon deeper analysis, the Nazi party became popular because of a leader who was able to embrace an all-knowing presence fit for idol worship and convince enough people that the Aryan race reigned supreme. Secondly, the ancient meaning of the swastika, as perceived by followers of various predominantly Asian religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, relates to good luck and prosperity. This contrast in viewing the swastika, from the Eastern and Western worlds, fits the twists and turns in the poem and in the speaker’s mind about the nature of her relationship with her father.
Devil
Raised in the Unitarian Christian faith, Plath started to question religion from the time of her father’s death until her own suicide, a choice that has its own set of moral conundrums. Otto Plath taught science, a subject sometimes known to be the antithesis to strong Christian beliefs. In Stanza 11 of “Daddy,” Plath provides hellish imagery when describing her father’s image standing at a blackboard: “A cleft in your chin instead of your foot/But no less a devil for that” (Lines 53-54). Plath tweaks the traditional image of the devil to suit her perception of her father (see the section on the foot symbol below). This devil reference arrives later in the poem, after she establishes the Nazi reference, firmly cementing the evil ways of her father. The devil also evokes the idea of hell, including images of flames and burning, which is how the Nazis killed many Jews during the Holocaust.
Foot
Plath refers to feet or footwear throughout the poem, starting in Stanza 1 with “[…] Black shoe/In which I’ve lived like a foot” (Lines 2-3). The simile immediately sets up an allusion to the nursery rhyme of Old Mother Hubbard living in her shoe with many children, which seems innocent at first but, like most children’s stories, has a darker tale to tell. The speaker establishes her subservient position under the reign of her father, which would later transfer to her husband. In Stanza 10, the violent imagery intensifies with the “Boot in the face” (Line 49) as Plath declares the brutish behaviors of her father and all Fascist men. Then, Stanza 11 uniquely connects the foot to his devilish ways: “A cleft in your chin instead of your foot” (Line 53). Otto Plath actually had an infection in his foot due to his diabetes, which was the beginning of his end. Therefore, Plath’s continuous reference to feet and footwear throughout the poem seems to suggest her obsessive thoughts about the cause of his demise in conjunction with her own emotional turmoil about their relationship.
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By Sylvia Plath
