Necessities of Life

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1966

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Literary Context

“Necessities of Life” is an example of the confessional poetry genre that was especially popular beginning during the late 1950s and early 1960s in America. As a form of Postmodernism, this genre responded to the horrors of the 20th century— the Holocaust, World War II, and the beginnings of the Cold War—by retreating from the world and instead focusing on the personal. Confessional poetry often describes defining moments, personal trauma, and highly emotional experiences; poets discuss taboo topics such as mental illness, sexuality, and suicide, setting these topics within a larger social context. Other prominent poets writing in the genre include Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton.

Rich fits the genre well: She uses the first person; her original title, “Thirty-Three,” reflects an autobiographical point of view; and the poem positions her transformation as a rejection of societal expectations. In keeping with the confessional genre, Rich's biography deeply informs the poem. Written in 1964 and published in 1966, this poem reflects the turmoil that Rich was experiencing. Rich’s early poetry mimicked the style and form of poets such as Yeats and Auden. This poem marks a shift towards a more personal and original style—a shift the poem itself describes. The unraveling of her personal life, and especially of her marriage, informs the themes and questions surrounding domesticity in the poem.

Historical and Socio-Historical Context

Beginning in the 1960s, second-wave feminism in America focused on most prominently on sexuality, domesticity, the work place, and reproductive rights. Influential thinkers and prominent activists during the early years of the wave include Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Esther Peterson, and Kate Millet. The themes of Rich’s work became more explicitly feminist as her career progressed, reflecting the movement’s prominence and success.

As a response to women's participation in the workforce during and after WWII, feminists advocated for equality in the workplace. Activists pushed for legislation like the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Women’s desire to control their fertility and define their domestic life informed the movement’s advocacy of the birth control pill and access to abortion. Writers like Rich interrogated the limitations of domesticity and the expectations placed upon women with careers. In centering Rich's experience as a woman, this poem expresses many of the concerns of the second wave. Rich’s description of a passively hostile work environment and her desire to control her life reflect the time’s interests and limitations.

One notable criticism of second-wave feminism is that the movement alienated some activists and thinkers by de-emphasizing race and primarily centering on middle-class white women even as the civil rights movement was occurring simultaneously. As Rich’s thinking developed and her career progressed, she more actively discussed racial issues, criticizing white feminism. As queer theory became more visible after Stonewall in 1969, Rich’s work also begins to more explicitly interrogate heterosexuality and reflect her own lesbianism.