A Child Trapped
Anne Sexton doesn’t glamorize the story of Sleeping Beauty’s heroine, Briar Rose. In fact, she tells the reader about the horrific life of a girl who’s idolized and traumatized by her father. Briar Rose reveals her past through series of hypnosis sessions. I believe Sexton’s interpretation of Briar Rose’s character makes this poem an anti-fairytale. She turns the tender plot of Sleeping Beauty into one that’s disconcerting because Briar Rose’s story starts and ends with tragedy. She can’t escape her past, no matter what she does. In this tale, Sexton also commented on the practice of psychology and drug addiction in the 1970’s. The tragic storyline, the portrayal of a woman’s choices in the 1970’s, the events in her horrible life, and her internal struggles are all elements that emphasizes the anti-fairytale genre. Nothing is positive in Briar Rose’s life. She’s addicted to sleeping medicines because she is terrified to sleep. When she did sleep, she dreamt of wh...