“Anorexic” by Eavan Boland: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

“Anorexic” by Eavan Boland, first appeared in the 1980 collection In Her Own Image, explores themes of self-denial, bodily rejection, and the destructive pressures of femininity and patriarchal ideals. Boland’s visceral language reflects the psychological and physical torment of an anorexic speaker who equates her body with sin and seeks purification through starvation. The poem’s stark imagery and intense personal voice make it a powerful feminist critique of societal expectations placed on women’s bodies. One of its most striking lines, “Flesh is heretic. / My body is a witch. / I am burning it.” (Boland, 1980), encapsulates the speaker’s internalized self-loathing and her attempt to reclaim control through bodily erasure. The poem is widely studied in literary courses due to its evocative exploration of gender, identity, and suffering, making it a compelling piece for discussions on feminist literature and poetic expression.

Text: “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

Flesh is heretic.
My body is a witch.
I am burning it.

Yes I am torching
her curves and paps and wiles.
They scorch in my self denials.

How she meshed my head
in the half-truths
of her fevers

till I renounced
milk and honey
and the taste of lunch.

I vomited
her hungers.
Now the bitch is burning.

I am starved and curveless.
I am skin and bone.
She has learned her lesson.

Thin as a rib
I turn in sleep.
My dreams probe

a claustrophobia
a sensuous enclosure.
How warm it was and wide

once by a warm drum,
once by the song of his breath
and in his sleeping side.

Only a little more,
only a few more days
sinless, foodless,

I will slip
back into him again
as if I had never been away.

Caged so
I will grow
angular and holy

past pain,
keeping his heart
such company

as will make me forget
in a small space
the fall

into forked dark,
into python needs
heaving to hips and breasts
and lips and heat
and sweat and fat and greed.

Annotations: “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

Line from ‘Anorexic’	Explanation (Simple English)	Literary, Poetic, and Rhetorical Devices
Flesh is heretic.	The speaker sees her flesh as sinful and against purity.	Metaphor (flesh as heretic), Religious imagery
My body is a witch.	She views her body as something evil that must be destroyed.	Metaphor (body as a witch), Personification
I am burning it.	She is punishing her body by starving herself.	Metaphor (burning as self-destruction), Symbolism
Yes I am torching	She emphasizes her determination to destroy her body.	Repetition (“Yes I am”), Parallelism
her curves and paps and wiles.	She is targeting the parts of her body that define femininity.	Metonymy (curves and paps for femininity), Alliteration (“paps and wiles”)
They scorch in my self denials.	Her refusal to eat feels like burning her body away.	Imagery (scorching, self-denial), Irony
How she meshed my head	Her body has controlled her mind with false beliefs.	Personification (“she meshed my head”), Metaphor
in the half-truths	She has been deceived by her body’s desires.	Oxymoron (“half-truths”), Symbolism
of her fevers	Her body’s hunger feels like a burning fever.	Symbolism (fevers as torment), Metaphor
till I renounced	She rejected her body and its needs.	Diction (“renounced” suggests religious sacrifice), Biblical allusion
milk and honey	She gave up nourishment and comfort.	Biblical allusion (milk and honey), Symbolism
and the taste of lunch.	She stopped eating entirely.	Sensory imagery (taste of lunch), Alliteration (“taste of”)
I vomited	She forcefully rejected her hunger.	Metaphor (vomiting hunger), Hyperbole
her hungers.	Her body’s hunger was an enemy she got rid of.	Personification (“hungers” as an entity), Symbolism
Now the bitch is burning.	She sees her body as a sinful woman being punished.	Metaphor (“bitch burning”), Harsh diction
I am starved and curveless.	She has made herself thin by refusing to eat.	Antithesis (starved vs. curveless), Imagery
I am skin and bone.	She has lost all body fat and feels skeletal.	Imagery (skin and bone), Hyperbole
She has learned her lesson.	She feels she has succeeded in punishing her body.	Personification (“lesson learned by body”), Irony
Thin as a rib	She compares herself to a single rib, symbolizing fragility.	Biblical allusion (rib, Eve’s creation), Simile
I turn in sleep.	She is restless and uncomfortable.	Symbolism (turning in sleep as restlessness), Personification
My dreams probe	Her thoughts explore painful memories.	Personification (“dreams probing”), Metaphor
a claustrophobia	She feels trapped in her own body.	Symbolism (claustrophobia as mental entrapment), Abstract diction
a sensuous enclosure.	She once found comfort in her body, but now rejects it.	Oxymoron (“sensuous enclosure”), Juxtaposition
How warm it was and wide	She remembers when she felt safe and free.	Symbolism (warmth as past comfort), Contrast
once by a warm drum,	She recalls the warmth of another body.	Metaphor (warm drum as heartbeat), Sensory imagery
once by the song of his breath	She remembers feeling safe near someone’s breathing.	Personification (“song of breath”), Metaphor
and in his sleeping side.	She used to sleep peacefully next to someone.	Symbolism (sleeping side as security), Sensory imagery
Only a little more,	She believes her suffering will soon be over.	Repetition (“only a little more”), Incremental progression
only a few more days	She thinks that if she continues starving, she will reach purity.	Parallelism (“only a few more days”), Gradation
sinless, foodless,	She connects purity with not eating.	Juxtaposition (“sinless, foodless”), Religious imagery
I will slip	She imagines disappearing completely.	Metaphor (slipping into him), Symbolism
back into him again	She believes she will return to an original, pre-body state.	Religious allusion (returning to the womb), Metaphor
as if I had never been away.	She wants to erase herself entirely.	Hyperbole (“never been away”), Imagery
Caged so	She sees herself as trapped in a body.	Metaphor (“caged” as confined), Symbolism
I will grow	She believes she will become pure by starving.	Symbolism (growth as transformation), Personification
angular and holy	She equates thinness with spirituality.	Juxtaposition (“angular and holy”), Biblical allusion
past pain,	She thinks she will transcend suffering.	Abstract diction (“past pain”), Symbolism
keeping his heart	She imagines herself staying close to someone’s heart.	Symbolism (“keeping his heart” as devotion), Metaphor
such company	She finds comfort in spiritual emptiness.	Irony (“such company” as solitude), Metaphor
as will make me forget	She hopes to forget her bodily desires.	Alliteration (“make me forget”), Symbolism
in a small space	She imagines herself shrinking completely.	Imagery (“small space” as suffocation), Metaphor
the fall	She references the biblical fall from innocence.	Symbolism (“fall” as downfall), Biblical allusion
into forked dark,	She compares bodily desires to a snake-like evil.	Allusion (“forked dark” as temptation), Metaphor
into python needs	She views her bodily needs as dangerous and consuming.	Personification (“python needs” as bodily desires), Sensory imagery
heaving to hips and breasts	She resents her body’s natural curves.	Parallelism (“hips and breasts”), Sensory imagery
and lips and heat	She associates the body with sin and lust.	Gradation (“lips and heat”), Sensory imagery
and sweat and fat and greed.	She equates physicality with excess and sin.	Accumulation (“sweat, fat, greed”), Negative connotation

Literary And Poetic Devices: “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

Literary/Poetic Device	Example from ‘Anorexic’	Explanation
Accumulation	“sweat and fat and greed”	The piling up of negative words emphasizes the speaker’s disgust toward the physical body.
Allusion	“into forked dark”	Reference to the biblical idea of the devil as a tempter, reinforcing the struggle against bodily temptation.
Antithesis	“I am starved and curveless.”	Opposites (starved vs. curveless) highlight the destructive effect of starvation.
Biblical Allusion	“milk and honey”	Refers to the biblical ‘land of milk and honey,’ contrasting abundance with self-denial.
Contrast	“How warm it was and wide”	The contrast between warmth (comfort) and starvation highlights the speaker’s suffering.
Diction	“renounced”	The word ‘renounced’ has religious connotations, reinforcing the idea of rejecting worldly pleasures.
Gradation	“only a few more days”	Progression from ‘a little more’ to ‘a few more days’ heightens the tension of the speaker’s starvation.
Hyperbole	“I am skin and bone.”	Exaggeration of extreme thinness emphasizes the suffering caused by anorexia.
Imagery	“My dreams probe.”	Evokes strong mental images, such as the body burning and dreams probing, to convey emotional turmoil.
Irony	“She has learned her lesson.”	The speaker believes her body has learned a lesson, though it is ironic since the lesson leads to destruction.
Juxtaposition	“sinless, foodless”	Placing opposites together (sinless, foodless) stresses the self-punishment ideology.
Metaphor	“My body is a witch.”	Compares her body to a witch, reinforcing her belief that it is sinful and must be punished.
Metonymy	“her curves and paps”	Uses a part of the body (‘curves and paps’) to represent femininity and womanhood.
Oxymoron	“a sensuous enclosure”	A contradictory phrase, as ‘sensuous’ suggests pleasure, but ‘enclosure’ implies restriction and suffering.
Parallelism	“only a little more, only a few more days”	Repetition of similar structures intensifies the self-inflicted suffering.
Personification	“How she meshed my head”	The body is given human qualities, as if it deliberately deceives the speaker.
Repetition	“Yes I am torching”	The phrase ‘Yes I am’ is repeated to emphasize the speaker’s obsessive destruction of her body.
Symbolism	“Thin as a rib.”	The rib alludes to the biblical creation of Eve from Adam’s rib, suggesting a return to purity.
Synecdoche	“keeping his heart”	A part of the body (heart) is used to symbolize emotional connection and purity.

Themes: “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

• Self-Destruction and Anorexia as Punishment: One of the most striking themes in “Anorexic” is the self-destructive nature of the disorder and the way the speaker treats starvation as a form of punishment. The poem presents the body as an enemy, something that must be destroyed to attain purity. The speaker believes that her physical form is sinful, describing it as “My body is a witch. / I am burning it.” This violent imagery highlights the deep self-loathing that fuels her disordered eating, reinforcing the idea that her body must suffer to achieve an ideal state. The metaphor of fire, repeated throughout the poem (“Now the bitch is burning”), suggests a purging process, as if she is undergoing a ritualistic cleansing by eliminating the very flesh that defines her. This destructive impulse reflects the reality of anorexia as a disorder that is both psychological and physical, where self-inflicted pain is mistakenly seen as self-control.
• Femininity and the Rejection of the Female Body: The poem also critiques the societal pressures placed on women to conform to unrealistic standards of beauty and purity. The speaker views her body’s natural curves and desires as something to be eradicated, stating, “her curves and paps and wiles / They scorch in my self-denials.” The rejection of her body mirrors a rejection of femininity itself, as she equates physical softness and sexuality with weakness or corruption. By starving herself, she seeks to transcend these traits, attempting to become “Thin as a rib”—a biblical reference to Eve’s creation, symbolizing a return to a pre-fallen state before female sexuality was introduced into the world. The contrast between past and present—“How warm it was and wide / once by a warm drum”—suggests a nostalgic longing for a time before she was fully aware of her body and its burdens, reinforcing the destructive impact of societal and internalized expectations of female physicality.
• Religious Imagery and the Search for Purity: Religious imagery plays a crucial role in “Anorexic”, as the speaker equates thinness with spiritual purification and sees her body as something inherently sinful. She uses religious diction such as “Flesh is heretic” and “sinless, foodless” to suggest that eating is not only a physical act but a moral failing. The reference to “milk and honey”, a biblical allusion to abundance and nourishment, is renounced, further emphasizing the speaker’s belief that self-denial is the path to righteousness. Her goal is to become “angular and holy / past pain”, suggesting that she associates extreme thinness with saint-like purity, transcending human weakness. However, the irony in this pursuit is evident, as her suffering and self-punishment do not bring enlightenment but rather reinforce her entrapment in a cycle of pain and destruction.
• Loss of Identity and the Desire for Erasure: A recurring theme in the poem is the speaker’s desire to erase herself completely, symbolizing both the literal effects of anorexia and a deeper existential crisis. She envisions herself dissolving into nothingness, saying, “I will slip / back into him again / as if I had never been away.” This suggests a longing to return to a state of pre-existence, possibly before birth or before she was burdened by the expectations of femininity and the physical body. The imagery of enclosure—“a claustrophobia / a sensuous enclosure”—reflects the suffocating nature of her condition, where her own body becomes a prison. She aspires to shrink so much that she ceases to exist as a separate entity, becoming “caged so”, which further reinforces the poem’s underlying tension between control and self-destruction. Ultimately, this theme highlights the psychological struggle of an individual who seeks solace not in healing, but in complete disappearance.

Literary Theories and “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

Literary Theory	Application to “Anorexic”
Feminist Criticism	The poem critiques societal pressures on women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. The speaker’s rejection of her body (“her curves and paps and wiles / They scorch in my self denials”) highlights the internalization of patriarchal expectations and the self-inflicted violence that results from them.
Psychoanalytic Theory	From a psychoanalytic perspective, the poem reflects the speaker’s deep-seated self-loathing and unconscious desire to return to a pre-individualized state (“I will slip back into him again as if I had never been away.”). Her self-destruction can be read as a manifestation of repression and internalized trauma.
New Historicism	The poem can be analyzed in relation to historical and cultural attitudes toward the female body, particularly within religious and patriarchal frameworks. The biblical allusions (“Thin as a rib”) suggest a critique of how women have historically been defined through religious narratives of purity and sin.
Post-Structuralism	Through a post-structuralist lens, the poem deconstructs traditional binaries such as purity vs. sin, body vs. spirit, and self vs. other. The speaker’s transformation (“angular and holy / past pain”) challenges stable meanings, illustrating the instability of identity and language in the construction of the self.

Critical Questions about “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

• How does “Anorexic” critique societal beauty standards and gender expectations?
• “Anorexic” presents a stark critique of societal beauty standards and the pressure placed on women to conform to unrealistic ideals. The speaker views her body as something that must be controlled, reduced, and ultimately erased, illustrating how deeply ingrained cultural expectations shape female identity. The poem explicitly connects femininity with sinfulness, as seen in the lines “her curves and paps and wiles / They scorch in my self denials.” This rejection of the body as something deceitful and impure reflects the internalization of patriarchal standards that equate physical softness with weakness. The speaker’s goal is to become “Thin as a rib,” an allusion to Eve’s creation from Adam’s rib, suggesting that returning to a pre-fallen, pre-sexual state is the only way to achieve purity. By drawing on these religious and societal constructs, Boland critiques the destructive ways in which women’s bodies are policed and controlled.
• What role does religious imagery play in shaping the speaker’s perception of her body?
• Religious imagery in “Anorexic” reinforces the idea that the speaker’s body is inherently sinful and must be purified through suffering. From the opening lines, she declares, “Flesh is heretic. / My body is a witch. / I am burning it.” The use of the words “heretic” and “witch” connects her body to historical instances of persecution, where women who defied societal norms were condemned and destroyed. The metaphor of burning also evokes religious purification, as if the speaker believes she must suffer to cleanse herself of her physicality. Additionally, the poem references biblical symbols of nourishment—“milk and honey”, which are traditionally associated with abundance and divine promise—but the speaker rejects them in her pursuit of holiness. Her ultimate goal is to become “angular and holy / past pain,” linking starvation with spiritual transcendence. Through this imagery, Boland critiques how religious and moral discourses have historically been used to regulate women’s bodies and impose ideals of self-denial.
• How does the poem explore the psychological effects of anorexia?
• The poem vividly portrays the psychological torment of anorexia, using disturbing imagery and a fragmented sense of self. The speaker describes her body as an external force that deceives and controls her, saying, “How she meshed my head / in the half-truths / of her fevers / till I renounced / milk and honey / and the taste of lunch.” The use of personification here suggests a dissociation between the speaker and her body, as if it is an oppressive entity she must battle. This sense of division mirrors the psychological struggle of those suffering from eating disorders, where the mind becomes consumed by intrusive thoughts about control, food, and purity. The speaker’s longing to “slip / back into him again / as if I had never been away.” suggests a desire to disappear completely, to erase the burden of existence by returning to a pre-birth state. These lines capture the dangerous mental distortion that accompanies anorexia, where self-destruction is falsely equated with liberation.
• What is the significance of the speaker’s desire to “erase” herself?
• Throughout “Anorexic”, the speaker expresses a desire to reduce herself to nothingness, reflecting a deep existential crisis beyond just physical starvation. The poem traces her journey from rejecting her body to longing for complete erasure, as she says, “I am starved and curveless. / I am skin and bone.” This stripping away of flesh is not just a physical act but a symbolic attempt to negate her own existence. Her ultimate goal is to “slip / back into him again / as if I had never been away.” This could be interpreted as a desire to return to the safety of the womb or to merge with a male figure in order to escape her identity as a woman. The phrase “caged so / I will grow / angular and holy / past pain,” suggests that the speaker believes self-erasure will lead to spiritual purity, further emphasizing the poem’s theme of suffering as a path to transcendence. However, this belief is deeply ironic, as the speaker’s relentless pursuit of purity only leads to more suffering and self-destruction.

Literary Works Similar to “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

1. “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath – This poem explores a woman’s struggle with self-image and aging, mirroring “Anorexic”’s themes of body dysmorphia and self-loathing.
2. “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath – Like “Anorexic”, this poem delves into self-destruction, using vivid and violent imagery to depict a woman’s battle with her own body and identity.
3. “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti – While allegorical, this poem shares “Anorexic”’s exploration of female desire, self-denial, and the moral consequences of consumption and abstinence.
4. “The Pomegranate” by Eavan Boland – This poem, also by Boland, reflects on femininity, self-sacrifice, and the tension between nourishment and denial, themes central to “Anorexic”.

Representative Quotations of “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
“Flesh is heretic.”	The opening line sets the tone for the speaker’s rejection of her own body, portraying it as sinful.	Feminist Criticism – Highlights the internalized misogyny and societal expectations of women’s bodies.
“My body is a witch.”	The speaker equates her body with a historical figure of persecution, reinforcing self-hatred.	Feminist Criticism – Reflects historical oppression of women through witch trials and body policing.
“I am burning it.”	Describes the act of self-punishment through starvation, symbolizing purification.	Psychoanalytic Theory – Represents self-destructive impulses and the desire for control.
“Now the bitch is burning.”	Personifies the body as an enemy being destroyed, emphasizing self-inflicted suffering.	Psychoanalytic Theory – The externalized body as an antagonist reflects internalized self-hatred.
“Thin as a rib.”	Biblical allusion to Eve’s rib, symbolizing a return to pre-fallen, pre-sexualized purity.	New Historicism – Examines the biblical origin of female identity and its connection to purity.
“I will slip back into him again as if I had never been away.”	Expresses the desire to disappear into a male figure, erasing individuality and physicality.	Psychoanalytic Theory – Suggests a Freudian return to the womb or dissolution of self.
“Sinless, foodless,”	Equates the absence of food with moral purity, linking starvation to virtue.	Feminist Criticism – Reinforces patriarchal constructs equating thinness with goodness.
“How she meshed my head in the half-truths of her fevers.”	Describes how her body has deceived her, reinforcing the theme of self-alienation.	Post-Structuralism – Deconstructs the concept of truth, showing how identity is shaped by perception.
“Keeping his heart such company as will make me forget.”	Suggests the speaker’s attempt to suppress memories of her body’s physical existence.	Psychoanalytic Theory – Implies repression of bodily memory as a means of psychological survival.
“Into python needs heaving to hips and breasts and lips and heat.”	Frames physical desires as monstrous and predatory, reinforcing the rejection of the flesh.	Post-Structuralism – Questions the stability of language in defining bodily needs and desires.

Suggested Readings: “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland

1. Sliti, Adel. “Introspaces of Subversion vs Ideological: Spaces of Evil in Eavan Boland’s ‘Anorexic’.” Illuminating the Dark Side: Evil, Women and the Feminine. Brill, 2010. 185-195.
2. O’Leary, Maggie. “Heritage of hunger: Famine, self-starvation, and narrative-building in Eavan Boland’s” Anorexic”.” Colloquy 33 (2017): 5-24.
3. Reizbaum, Marilyn, and Eavan Boland. “An Interview with Eavan Boland.” Contemporary Literature, vol. 30, no. 4, 1989, pp. 471–79. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1208610. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
4. Allen-Randolph, Jody. “Eavan Boland: A Checklist.” Irish University Review, vol. 23, no. 1, 1993, pp. 131–48. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25484541. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.