The themes of death and rebirth are exposed since the title with the Biblical allusion of Lazarus, a man Jesus raises from the dead.
These images depict the theme of death by describing a corpse. Thus, the imagery of death establishes that in order to be born again, she need suffer and die before.
"She enacts her death repeatedly in order to cleanse
herself of the "million filaments" of guilt and anguish that torment her. After
she has returned to the womblike state of being trapped in her cave, like the biblical
Lazarus, or of being rocked "shut as a seashell," she expects to emerge reborn
in a new form. These attempts at rebirth are unsuccessful until the end of the poem. Only
when the Lady undergoes total immolation of self and body does she truly emerge in a
demonic form. The doctor burns her down to ash, and then she achieves her rebirth: " (Rosenblatt.)
Moreover, the images from the Holocaust demonstrate the objectification of herself (a Nazi lampshade, a paperweight, fine Jew linen) which makes her another victim, a martyr who has been suffering and has been trying to liberate herself. Rebirth, for the persona, is a means to take revenge from life, for the ones who have used and damaged her.
To convey the theme of rebirth, Plath uses the myth of the Phoenix; the mythological creature that is born out of its ashes.
About confessional poetry, it can be said that this poem foreshadows her final and successful suicide attempt. The grave cave she mentions in the poem is like the oven she used to kill herself. Also, throughout the poem, the tone and images depict her depression and suffering.
Finally, the period she belonged to is reflected by the use of images from the Holocaust. Her feminist ideas are depicted by the transformation of the biblical allusion of Lazarus to a Lady Lazarus.
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