The Planned Child By Sharon Olds: Exploring Maternal Love

The Planned Child by Sharon Olds: Exploring Maternal Love and Identity

In Sharon Olds’s poem, “The Planned Child,” the poet explores the complex themes of maternal love, identity, and the human desire for authenticity through the use of vivid imagery, symbolism, and perspective shifts. The poem delves into a mother’s love that is so intense that it even influences the child's perception of her intentions and feelings. Olds employs these literary elements to convey how love and conception intertwine with a sense of purpose, control, and individuality, revealing a profound examination of family, choice, and the innate human longing for connection.

Analysis of Literary Elements and Theme Conveyance

One of the most compelling literary elements Olds employs is imagery, which vividly illustrates the emotional landscape of the poem. The scene where the child drinks wine with a friend is particularly evocative. The line, “I took the wine against my lips as if my mouth was moving along that valve wall in my mother’s body,” (Olds, line X) creates a visceral image that symbolizes the physical and emotional connection between mother and child. The “valve wall” metaphor suggests an intimate body part that regulates life and love, emphasizing the child's realization of his origins and the mother's desire to give life out of love, even if he initially perceived it as mechanical or planned. The imagery bridges physical sensation with emotional understanding, illustrating the child's evolving awareness of his origins and the maternal love embedded within it.

Another vital literary element is symbolism, exemplified through the depiction of the child's conception as akin to “taking the cardboard out of a shirt and using it as his backbone,” (Olds, line Y). This imagery symbolizes perceived austerity and lifelessness—a feeling of being plain or uninspired—contrasting sharply with the passionate love that ultimately sustains the mother’s desire to have a child. The cardboard acts as a stand-in for the child's sense of emptiness or lack of soul, whom he wishes to be born of passion and heat of the moment. This symbolic gesture expresses the child's inner conflict: feeling like a product of planning rather than spontaneous love, questioning his authenticity and emotional depth.

Lastly, the shift in perspective within the poem enhances its emotional depth. When the child’s eyes widen in realization during the wine scene, it signifies a moment of enlightenment—an understanding that he is more than just a planned product. The recognition that his mother’s love was real and passionate, despite how he perceives his origins, underscores the poem’s central theme: that love and desire transcend the mechanical aspects of conception. The child’s metaphorical puppet-like feeling, as if he was designed without love or heart, reflects an internal struggle with identity. However, the poem reassures that maternal love remains profound regardless of how a child believes he was conceived.

Conclusion

Overall, Sharon Olds’s “The Planned Child” masterfully uses imagery, symbolism, and shifting perspectives to explore the themes of maternal love and identity. The poem reveals that despite feelings of being controlled or manufactured, there exists an enduring and genuine maternal desire. The vivid images of wine and the cardboard backbone serve as metaphors for emotional complexity and the desire for a life infused with passion. Ultimately, Olds’s poem highlights the powerful, unconditional nature of maternal love that persists regardless of how we perceive our origins or ourselves.

References

• Olds, Sharon. “The Planned Child.” [Include publication source], [Year].
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