The Applicant

In “The Applicant,” the wife is never heard from and is only presented from the male perspective of the speaker. In this way, Plath is able to create a symbol for the way a male-dominated society views women. By positioning this poem’s perspective from the eyes of men, she presents a critical view of the way she thinks men view women: as objects to be bought, sold, possessed, and ordered around. The wife has no voice and responds only to the commands of the men in the poem. She has no personality or purpose, except for that which the men expect of her. For example, in what seems like a throwaway line at first, the speaker tells her, “Come here, sweetie, out of the closet” (Line 28), implying that she exists like a piece of clothing that is only taken out into the world when its owner chooses to wear it.

The fact that Plath, a noted feminist, writes the poem from this male-gaze perspective adds to the irony and sarcastic nature of the poem. She deliberately chooses this perspective and portrayal of the wife to highlight the blatant misogyny and dismissiveness of the male characters.