Daddy

Plath’s poem "Daddy" describes her feelings of oppression from her childhood and conjures the struggle many women face in a male-dominated society. The conflict of this poem is male authority versus the right of a female to control her own life and be free of male domination. Plath’s conflicts begin with her father and continue into the relationship between her and her husband. This conflict is examined in lines 71-80 of "Daddy" in …

…on you. / They always knew it was you," is almost ambiguous because it is not clear whether Plath is directing this to her husband or her father. If to her father, it means that she has figured out that it was her father in Ted’s place all along and subconsciously Plath knew that and didn’t want to believe it. Yet, in the last line, it is clear that Plath was able to resolve