Critical Analysis Of The Addiction By Anne Sexton

A Critical Analysis of Anne Sexton’s “The Addict” Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance or engages in an activity that can be pleasurable but the continued use or act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities. As for this, Anne Sexton’s poem “The Addict” informs the reader about her own personal struggle with depression as she becomes addicted to her pharmaceutical pills in the attempt of slow suicide. In fact, the reader may assume that Mrs. Sexton is troubled in a way that she abuses her pills that make her feel numb to the breach of death. Instead, this poem has a deeper meaning in a way that she portrays the addiction to be of marriage and war within her life. However, a closer analysis of the poem describes not only to be of addiction itself but the many trials of depression it took her to become addicted enough to kill her own life away. Anne Sexton was born in

For example, Sexton states, “I try to kill myself in small amounts an innocuous occupation”(1952). Stating that she tries to escape from reality by overdosing on her pills not knowing it has become a habit to the point she feels immune to the feeling. Anne felt constantly aware of death and loss to be more positive in the way she describes her addiction to be a way of life for her (McCann). As stated, “I like them more than they like me, stubborn as hell they won’t let go, It’s kind of a marriage it’s kind of a war where I plant bombs inside of myself” (1952). Regarding this it becomes known to the reader that she is so addicted to the drugs that she replaces the pills as a human being that is so involved in her life in a way that she loves pushing herself to overdose but at the same time she hates that the pills are the only thing helping her to be sane in physical