Overview
Shel Silverstein’s poem, “Sick”, is an exploration of a child’s main worries about being ill. It raises questions about health, mortality, and the child’s uncertain future. The poem explores the child’s fears about being stuck at home, the knowledge that family and friends can’t help, and the idea that everything can change when one is ill.
The poem is told from the point of view of a child who is struggling with an illness. Though he believes his condition is serious enough to warrant a stay in bed, his caretaker insists on treating his illness as a minor annoyance. The child expresses his fear of being alone and the belief that something much greater than a minor ailment is wrong with him.
The poem can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the reader’s background and experiences. It can be viewed as a metaphor for larger struggles in life, such as coping with mental illness or dealing with a difficult turn of events. It can also be seen as a meditation on mortality and uncertainty, especially in the face of a person’s own declining health.
The poet’s use of rhetorical questions throughout the poem lends to this theme of uncertainty and mystery. The child wonders why he has been singled out for illness and the poem ends with the unanswered question “Why would he lie/ Come morning I’ll be fine?” This leaves the reader to ponder the truth of the child’s condition and its ultimate fortitude.
Personification And Metaphor
Silverstein employs personification and metaphor to enhance the mood and implications of the poem. For example, he personifies the fear the child feels, referring to the fear as a “sparrow flying” and “a little bird,” rather than simply naming it. This not only creates a sense of dread, but it also serves to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind. Similarly, Silverstein uses metaphors throughout the poem as a tool to convey the notions of fear, mortality, and uncertainty.
For example, the child wishes to disappear, like a plant “overnight” which implies the idea of a swift and sudden end. He also adds that he wishes for “a long sleep without dreaming,” which could be a metaphor for death. Finally, the child is “hooked to an almanac,” which is a metaphor for time passing quickly and inexorably. All of these images and metaphors add to the mood of the poem and the themes of mortality and uncertainty.
Symbolism Of The Title
The title of the poem also adds to its overall mood. The poem is called “Sick” and this word is further underlined in the first stanza where the child is described as having a “sickness.” The title of the poem serves to draw the reader’s attention to the gravity of the child’s condition and to the fact that mortality is an unavoidable part of life.
Silverstein also avoids naming the child’s exact health condition, instead opting to leave this to the reader’s interpretation. This suggests that the poem could be a metaphor for any kind of life struggles, be they physical, mental, or emotional. By using the vague term “sick,” Silverstein is able to imbue the poem with a universal, yet still personal, connotation.
Structure
The poem is comprised of six quatrains with each stanza composed of four lines. Silverstein has also used end rhyme in all of the quatrains in order to give the poem shape and structure. This creates a feeling of predictability and security for readers which contravenes the overall theme of the poem. The rhyming scheme also ensures that each idea can be heard in a clear and unambiguous way.
Silverstein’s use of the quatrain structure also highlights the idea of wholeness and completeness in each stanza. This serves to further emphasise the idea of life being finite and that death is a certainty in every person’s life. Each quatrain is complete in and of itself and this reinforces the idea that each of us are finite and complete in our own existence.
Social Impact
The poem is powerful in its exploration of the dark aspects of growing up and the inevitable mortality of all individuals. It conveys the idea that life is uncertain and that death is inevitable, but it does not do so in a way that is overly morbid or depressing. Instead, Silverstein has created a poem that is tinged with hope, despite its underlying mortality.
More importantly, it highlights the struggles of young people who are facing the difficulties of growing up, including the fear of mortality. The poem speaks of a deep understanding of the predicament humans find themselves in, and attempts to offer a comfort in the face of this understanding. As a result, it speaks not only to the child in the poem, but to every person who has ever faced the inevitability of death.
Psychological Impact
The poem speaks to the fears of mortality and the unknown that many people feel in their lives. It explores the idea that life can be uncertain and that one must accept that death is inevitable. Though it addresses the subject of death in a way that is not overly dark or morose, it does so in a way that is honest and effective. By addressing this deep rooted fear, Silverstein helps the reader to confront their own feelings of mortality and face their inevitable death.
It is also a poem of hope as it reassures the reader that despite the sense of dread and uncertainty, life can still be lived to the full. It encourages the reader to accept the mortality of life, but also to embrace life and live it to the fullest.
Religious Interpretation
The poem can be interpreted as a Christian parable by examining its religious undertones. It can be seen as a metaphor for the struggle between the human and divine, the soul’s mortality and its eternal essence. The poem’s ending question “Why would he lie/Come morning I’ll be fine?” could be interpreted as referring to Jesus’ assurance that death is not the end, but rather the beginning of eternal life.
One could also interpret the poem as a metaphor for the Christian struggle against sin. The child’s illness can be seen as a metaphor for the struggle against temptation and the illness represents the difficulty of overcoming sinful thoughts. Despite his caretaker’s assurances, the child remains fearful of his illness and its implications. Ultimately, the poem can be seen as a reminder to rely on faith and hope to overcome the struggles of sin and mortality.
Ethical Interpretation
The poem can also be interpreted as a commentary on the ethical implications of mortality and death. Few ethical questions are as profound as that of mortality and the implications of death for those left behind. The poem speaks of the fear of mortality and its implications within the context of a caring relationship.
The poem highlights the hopes and fears of a young person who is facing the inevitability of death. The poem speaks of the desire for comfort in the face of death, as well as the need for a sense of closure when loved ones pass away. It speaks of the ethical implications of mortality by conveying the helplessness of the child and the importance of facing death
