The speaker of The Colossus
An unnamed speaker works among the broken parts of a vast father figure.
The book
Who they are in the book
Spoiler-freeThe speaker of Sylvia Plath’s The Colossus addresses a ruined monument as a father. Repair work gives the poem a way to examine dependence and failed communication. The image is not a literal family scene.
How the book draws them
- An impossible repairThe speaker begins by admitting that the scattered figure cannot be fully restored. The work nevertheless continues.
- Listening without understandingSounds emerge from the figure’s mouth, but years of clearing its throat produce no greater knowledge.
- A small workerLadders, cleaning supplies, and the comparison with an ant make the speaker tiny beside the monument.
- Daily routineThe speaker pauses for lunch among the ruins. An overwhelming task has become part of ordinary life.
- Shelter inside the figureAt night, the speaker rests within an ear. The object being repaired also provides protection.
- Diminished expectationThe final lines turn away from listening for an arriving boat. Waiting has narrowed alongside the continuing work.
If you like The Colossus and Other Poems
If you like Sylvia Plath
Explore authors with a similar voice, perspective, and influence.
Louis-Ferdinand Céline
The doctor of the Paris slums who wrote the century's blackest, funniest novel — and changed the sound of French prose.
View author
Simone de Beauvoir
French writer and philosopher whose novels, memoirs, and social analysis examined freedom, gender, responsibility, aging, and the material conditions that shape a life.
View author
Henry Miller
The Brooklyn dropout who arrived in Paris broke at thirty-eight and wrote the exuberant, banned books that ended American censorship.
View author