The Expatriates

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1981

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Biographical Context

As one of the key figures of Confessional poetry, Sexton engaged in writing poetry that is widely understood to be personal, biographical, and intimate, and the relationship between Sexton’s life and her work remains close. Sexton began writing after her marriage and the birth of both of her daughters, and she drew on her personal experiences, including her extramarital affairs. She is well-known for writing about other previously taboo topics, like abortion, menstruation, and masturbation.

“The Expatriates” never clearly defines the nature of the relationship between the lovers, taking their inability to be together as simple fact. The taboo of extramarital love was both familiar to Sexton and thematically characteristic of her work. It is interesting to note that the poem’s “moment” (Line 1) of romance is chaste, as it describes a moment in which the speaker holds the “sweet hands” (Line 25) of their lover. The poem focuses on the emotional ties and heartbreak associated with forbidden love, bringing the intimate and personal to the forefront in typical Sexton fashion.

Literary Context

Sexton’s identification with Confessional poetry, an American style from the 1950s and ‘60s that involves the poet’s personal experiences, offers the reader insight into the broader literary context of the poem. Broadly defined, Confessional poetry lays bare the poet’s intimate and personal thoughts about various events in the poet’s life, broaching deeply personal subjects like sex and mental illness. In part, Confessionalism positioned itself as a counterpoint to the idealized domestic life of the 1950s, working to deconstruct the perfect suburban American dream. Like many art movements, the Confessionals were named and grouped together as such by outside critics rather than by themselves. Robert Lowell, John Berryman, W.D. Snodgrass, and Sylvia Plath were Sexton’s peers as well as major figures of Confessionalism. “The Expatriates” exemplifies many of the features of Confessional poetry. Sexton’s poem is personal and honest about the emotional pain it considers, expressing suffering in detail and challenging the social norms of the time.