Feminist Criticism of Anne Sexton\'s Poem When Man Enters Woman

¶ … Man Enters Woman is a short poem written by Anne Sexton, which discusses femininity and a man and a woman's relationship. The poem's title is apparently suggestive, referring to the sexual nature of the relationship between the two subjects of the poem (the man and the woman). However, this poem does not only talk about the sexual nature of the subjects' relationship, but also talks about the complexity of achieving emotional contentment and happiness in a relationship, as viewed by Anne Sexton. This paper will present both the literal and connotative meaning of the poem "When Man Enters Woman," and the analysis will be in reference to Anne Sexton's background and experience as a poet and writer, and by using the analysis as one way of applying feminist criticism to the poem.

Sexton's poem is simple in its structure, yet the words and the idea that she utilizes in her poem are complex. The poem initially starts with the act of sexual activity, as suggested by the lines, "When man / enters woman..." (lines 1-2, I). The next lines are illustrative details of the woman's pleasure of the sexual act, and Sexton uses the line "and the woman opens her mouth with pleasure / and her teeth gleam / like the alphabet..." (lines 5-7, I) to express this feeling. Unity is also included in the first stanza of the poem, as the poet tells her readers that they are unified by this particular sexual act through the 'tying of the knot' of the man and the woman, and this action initiated by the man (tying of the knot) serves as a symbol of their unity, the man's confirmation that they will 'never again be separate" (line 13, I). The last part of the first stanza (the last 5 lines) is quite complex, and describes the woman's action in response to the action initiated by the man (the 'tying of the knot' and entering of the woman's body are both initiated by the man). Apparently, the Logos mentioned in the poem has a lot to do with the woman's action-response to the man's actions. When Sexton stated that "... And the woman / climbs into a flower / and swallows its stem / and Logos appears / and unleashes its rivers..." (lines 15-8, I) does not mean the sexual act itself, but the emotional response of the woman to the man's actions. While these lines may be interpreted as a sexual action in response to the man's initial action, the woman here is actually 'severing' the knot established by the man (as meant by the lines "and the woman / climbs into a flower / and swallows its stems"- the stem being the 'knot' that ties them (man and woman) together); in effect, the woman's response is emotional because of the lack of reciprocity in their relationship. It becomes evident that the lines supplied by Sexton in the second stanza is one of discord and unattachment between the two subjects, that despite their biological need to satisfy each other's 'hunger,' the 'knot' tied by the man (the relationship he established) was severed and cut by the woman, although Sexton attributes the severance and discontinuance of their relationship as an inevitable event, and states that "God / in His perversity / unties the knot," which justifies the sudden unattachment between them Sexton does not blame the woman for the lack of emotional attachment and happiness in the subjects' relationship; instead, she uses the woman's sudden action of severing her relationship with the man as an event that is the 'will' of God, or what she calls 'God's error.'