Sheep In Fog

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1963

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Multiple Meanings of Sheep

Since the “sheep” in “Sheep in Fog” do not appear in the poem, one might wonder why they are important to it. Why not cows? Or why didn’t Plath dwell more with the “[h]orse” as she did in her poem “Ariel”? Why is the title of the poem not “My Horse in Fog”? The answer may have to do with the symbolism of “sheep.” “Sheep” are often used as symbols of the domesticated, and at this time, Plath was navigating the departure of her domestic partner, Ted Hughes. Plath chafed at being defined as a wife and mother, but she found she had to deal with these roles in new ways. “Sheep” are often a symbol of those who “dumbly” follow a set person or idea, and perhaps Plath chose them to represent her sense of having followed her husband or a conventional female role. “Sheep” are also known to get lost easily, and many die, if they leave their flock. Often, they need to be retrieved and guided by a shepherd. Perhaps Plath used this animal to express how she felt she no longer had a guide, that she felt abandoned. Further, when sleepless, we often “count sheep” to lull us into slumber. The ultimate slumber is death, a fact that could not have been lost on Plath. Because of its inherent presence in the landscape of England, but also because of its symbolic versality, Plath uses “sheep” as an indication of her multiple thematic concerns.

People or Stars

In “Sheep in Fog,” Plath mentions feeling that she has “disappoint[ed]” those around her, the “[p]eople or stars [who] / Regard [her] sadly” (Lines 2-3). This audience is important as it conveys not only those who might populate her actual world—her friends, family, and perhaps readers—but also the destiny for her life, represented by the “stars” (Line 2). From an early age, it was important to Plath to be a writer, and her identity was tied up in her artistic achievements. She wanted to be remembered as a great poet. Here, amid her depression, she feels she has let down not just humans but Fate. She wants to hold onto her future as a powerful artist. As she puts it, “the far / fields melt my heart” (Lines 11-12), but she is frightened that very future will lead to ultimate destruction, that she will go “through to a heaven / Starless and fatherless” (Lines 14-15). This notation leads the reader back to the first stanza, but now, even the people and stars have gone. Her personal connections and her role as a significant artist are completely obliterated.

A Flower Left Out

One of the key changes Plath made to her manuscript of “Sheep in Fog” was in Lines 9-10. Originally, she wrote that the “morning has been blackening // Like a dead man left out” but changed the metaphor in the final incarnation to “a flower left out” (Line 10). This is a significant change because of how the reader would perceive “a flower” (Line 10) versus the original deceased male. “A flower” is usually noted for its beauty, its life, and/or its perfume. Further, symbolically, it often represents the feminine. Here it is “blackening” (Line 9) due to being “left out” (Line 10). This suggests a greater correlation to Plath herself, whose despair at being “left” (Line 10) or abandoned is exhibited elsewhere. The “flower left out” enhances the other images of desertion in the poem, including the lost “sheep in fog,” the departing “train” (Line 4), and the “heaven” (Line 14), which is “fatherless” (Line 15). The replacement is more effective to show this major theme as it keeps us from wondering about a “dead man,” which would deflect us from the subject of Plath herself.