Christopher Hixon

ENG3010
Practical Criticism
6 February 2014

Poetry Analysis on Nick and the Candlestick by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plaths Nick and the Candlestick ventures into a world where both pain and true
innocence exist together. Through the use of vivid imagery, comparison of the speaker to a
miner, and the symbolism of the candlestick, the poem expresses the idea that despite all the
turmoil in the world nothing is more pure than the true bond between a parent and his or her
child.
Nick and the Candlestick is written in free verse. This signifies that the heavy
emotional toll that this subject has on the speaker. Free verse is effective here because it places
no restriction on the poet to express the deep emotions that are portrayed. The poem is comprised
of fourteen three-line stanzas. Because of the weight that the words hold, the three-line stanzas
make the ideas easier to digest. The poet addresses a subject, Nick, which can be assumed to be
the child of the speaker. Because Nick is portrayed as an embryo, then a baby, the three-line
stanzas could be in place so that these deep emotions are given him in doses, much like how
babies are fed pureed food out of jars and not four-course meals.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker is compared to a miner. This serves to show
that the poet is in a dark place and perhaps aware of the danger the surrounds such an
occupation. The miner is holding a light that burns blue, which is assumed to be a candle.
Additionally, it shows that the poet is looking for something just as a miner looks for coal and

precious gems. The waxy stalactites have a few meanings; while stalagmites are usually hard,
brittle, and made of lime and calcium, they are portrayed as waxylike candle drippings (Plath
2). These stalactites are then compared to tears, giving off the emotion of pain and sadness. Just
like a burning candlestick cannot control its drippings, it seems as though the speaker cannot
control her tears.
In the same manner, the piranhas described in the poem work to symbolize that
something is eating away at the speaker: And the fish, the fish / Christ! they are panes of ice,
/ A vice of knives, / A piranha, / Religion, drinking / Its first communion out of my live toes
(Plath 14-18). The repetition of the word fish means that whatever is eating at the speaker is
incessant while the comparison to religion signifies that whatever seems to be eating at the
speaker has a very deep, emotional significance. Furthermore, the candle gulps and recovers its
small altitude (Plath 20-21). Like a baby who has its first gasps of breath upon delivery, a
candles flame needs oxygen to sustain life as well.
The speakers use of apostrophe brings the attention to the embryo that is assumed to be
the Nick from the title. The question O love, how did you get here? demonstrates that the
speaker has a close bond with Nick but wonders how such a pure soul could be entered into a
world of such despondent uncertainty (Plath 23). It resonates the idea that parents want to keep
their children out of harms way and protected from a world that can be very cruel. This idea is
continued with the statement Love, love, / I have hung our cave with roses, / With soft rugs
(Plath 31-33). The speaker has created a world that protects his or her beloved child from the
sadness that exists in the world. It is clear that the speaker is experiencing profound agony but he
or she is more concerned with protecting Nick from the pain felt.

This idea is communicated in a stanza that brings the message of the piece to life: The
blood blooms clean / In you, ruby. / The pain / You wake to is not yours (Plath 27-30). The
purity of the blood demonstrates that Nick has no pain within him but that he will eventually see
the pain when he awakens (meaning when he grows old enough to understand). The pain he
will wake to is that of the speaker but like most parents, the speaker does not want his or her
child to feel responsible for any emotional discomfort. This is much like when parents keep
marital stress or financial trouble from their children for as long as possible; the last thing a
parent wants for a child is guilt.
Eventually, the speaker accepts that things are going to happen which he or she cannot
control and that these things may cause pain to others. Let the stars / Plummet to their dark
address shows that even the brightest stars in the sky have to fall (Plath 35-36). Things will
happen whether people want to accept them or not. The speaker is accepting his or her fate; the
blame is not placed on anyone for this because it is something that was destined to happen. The
poem concludes with a statement directed at Nick: You are the one / Solid the spaces lean on,
envious. / You are the baby in the barn (Plath 40-42). Here, the speaker expresses the strength
he or she sees in Nick despite all of the chaos that surrounds him. The speaker uses Nick as a
support to get through the emotional pain while also maintaining some envy that he has a
growing life ahead of him, free from distress. Nick is described as the baby in the barn as a
biblical allusion to Jesus born in a manger because he was said to be the Messiah, sent down to
save the world from sin and pain. The speaker looks to Nick as a savior from all of the emotional
suffering.
With this in mind, it is clear that the speaker is experiencing a world of turmoil but
despite being negative about every other aspect of his or her life, the feelings for Nick remain as

nothing besides pure love. The candlestick is significant because it illustrates how Nick is the
only light in the speakers life and the relationship between the speaker and the child
demonstrates that despite the depths of depression and despair, the love a parent has for a child
remains unchanged.

Works Cited
Plath, Sylvia. Nick and the Candlestick. Ariel: The Restored Edition. New York:
HarperCollins, 2004. 47-48. Print.