Table of Contents
Women’s power
Men’s power
The Power of Society
Lady Lazarus’s message is usually understood as being about suicide. The narrator is a woman who addresses no one specifically. The poem’s complexity, darkness and ferocity are all present. The poem is sarcastic and ominous. The title makes reference to Lazarus in the Bible whom Jesus raised from death. The narrator has attempted suicide three times in the last decade. The third attempt was intentional, but the first two were accidental. Her recovery after the third suicide attempt is portrayed as a disappointment, while her attempts at suicide are viewed as accomplishments. She is an expert at dying. There are audiences who watch death as an artistic expression. She takes her own life to punish those who drove her to it. The crowd that is zealous gets invited, but they are also condemned for the morbid force behind it. It is possible to say that the reader belongs to the crowd. It is because the reader reads it to understand her darkness. She assumes that the people who are watching her are so invested that they will pay large sums of money just to see her scars and heart.
She criticizes the crowd for its compulsion by comparing them to the Germans, who remained unconcerned while Jews were killed. In the end, it becomes clear that crowds can be a burden rather than an encourager. She does not like the resurrection or that there are people present. Feminism considers this poem to be an illustration of women’s struggles within a patriarchal society. The woman’s creation of an artist god is a declaration of the power of women. The poem describes how males try to suppress women’s power, but are ultimately defeated through their rebirth. She knows a man will be claiming her as soon he resurrects. She is also viewed as an object by the society, rather than as a human being. The show Women’s PowerPlath portrays females as women who want to determine their own destiny. The portrayal of Lady Lazarus’ resolve to die leads her into discussing real-world issues, similar to the suicides she uncovers. The imagery of death represents the historical evils that women wish to rid themselves of. Lady Lazarus’s fortitude, resilience, and strength of character show the positive side of women. Women have the power to make a difference. Plath turns the negative stereotype of independent women into a positive one by transforming it from a woman who is bold to expressing her opinions. It portrays powerful women. Plath uses ideas associated with suicide to demonstrate the strength of women. Women can turn an obstacle into an opportunity. Women can fight using the smallest of weapons, such as tarot decks instead of guns.
The Lady Lazarus Narrator is female and this gives her literary power. Even without men, the narration displays the artistic side of women. Her creativity has the ability to keep listeners interested throughout her life and death. Lady Lazarus shows how women are oppressed and men happily participate. In general, the poem portrays women as walking wonders.
Lady Lazarus’s brutal deaths show her resilience. She doesn’t speak about her past and instead talks about herself as ash, skin, and bone. She is resentful of the society for pushing her to die, as her indifference to death shows. She defeats and overcomes the society through death. She gains independence. Lady Lazarus’s proclamation that she has nine lifes shows resilience. She is resilient, and she doesn’t care how many times society has put her down. She defies social norms about women being weak, by dying repeatedly. She wants to break free of the stigma attached to women. She defeats both men and the society by dying. She prefers to die rather than submit. Lady Lazarus’ ability to bring herself back from the dead shows how powerful she is. She did not bring herself back to life, but only she. It shows the ability of women to reinvent themselves.
Men’s PowerLady Lazarus identifies a person as Herr Enemy. This is a powerful way to show the patriarchal environment. Women suffer from patriarchy that is oppressive and comparable to the harsh conditions at the Nazi concentration camp where they threw Jews. Men are portrayed as being evil. But Lady Lazarus will not be able to completely eliminate Herr Enemy. He is required as a future witness by Lady Lazarus. She also warns him that he will be on the wrong path if he does not obey the futureist. The warning tells the man he can be abused by the woman and that he is the one who will suffer.
The oppressors are men. The Holocaust is mentioned in the poem and Lady Lazarus is seen as a woman who has been oppressed by men. The men have oppressed their women so long that they are accustomed to it. The men have the power to control women. Lady Plath dislikes God as well as Satan. Her enemies. The doctor is a god who wants to help, but underneath the good intentions lies the devil. Lady Lazarus declares in the last stanza of her poem that she eats them like air. She is no longer threatened by them. Women can end the power of men and take control. The last verse shows how women can be as destructive to men and women as men are. The same thing should not happen to different people, as it is exactly the same. Women who are oppressed by men feel bitterness.
Lady Lazarus knows that when she dies, the doctor wants her body. The men are shown to be claiming ownership of the woman. Women are not seen as independent or different, but rather as a part of a man. Lady Lazarus is willing to die in order to get out of situations like this. She wants to be independent. She wants independence. It is for this reason that she happily kills himself. When she returns to her life, she views it as a failed quest for peace. She does not just want to escape men’s claws, but also society.
The power of societyThe culture stereotypes women who are audacious and weak as being evil. It watches men abuse women. It enjoys it. Lady Lazarus has a resentment for the society she considers complacent. Even though it has the power of redressing wrongs, society stands aside. The society actually pushes Lady Lazarus to her death. Lady Lazarus is determined to rebel against the society. It is for this reason that she commits suicide as a punishment. She does it to escape a culture that sees her as nothing more than an object. It is shown by her referring to herself in terms of parts and not as a body.
The patriarchal system is a society of people who may appear kind, but they are in fact evil. The warning “Beware” was meant to warn them. People believed Hitler was a good man, and the Nazis were doing their best to serve Germany. Plath reveals that the Nazis were evil. The foundation of the organization was lies. The power of Lady Lazarus is demonstrated by the warning she gives. It states that the evil will eventually be defeated. The doctor pokes to see what’s left of Lady Lazarus so that he may profit, i.e. make improvements in the psychological treatment. This act hurts only Lady Lazarus. The society doesn’t care that they hurt someone. It will take one person until they are destroyed. She burns and turns. This stanza demonstrates the helplessness of society, and how she can’t escape. It is a characteristic of society to render victims powerless.
Lady Lazarus says she feels like Opus, an artistic musical work that entertains the audience. She is worth more than pure gold. The society is clearly amused by finding the very best. Plath would have been able to use that stanza also to show how women deserve happiness while the society is hell bent on getting entertainment out of them. They are treated as victims by a society who tries fixing them. The women do not change. They can be fixed by the society, but they will not change.
Women are stigmatized, criticized and misunderstood by the society. It does all to benefit men. Men are in the majority and women are at a disadvantage. Women are made to feel powerless and worthless by the men, despite their knowledge that they are worthy. The evils in society drive the little voice of control that tries to convince Lady Lazarus to commit suicide. She is drawn to death by the voice. Every time people resuscitated her, she failed to die. They do it to keep the show running and entertain themselves, not because they want her to die. She is loved by society because she’s a great theatrical display. This shows how society can make a female feel less independent. She cannot even die in peace.