Edge

The 20th-century feminist Catherine MacKinnon uses the example of sex to highlight the objectification of women. In MacKinnon’s formula, when a man has sex with a woman, the man is the “subject” (the human), and the woman is the “object” (not human). Plath’s poem engages with the objectification motif, complicating the beliefs of MacKinnon and other feminist thinkers. 

The motif supports the theme of The Allure of Death, as part of death’s attraction is the freedom from human feeling. Objection represents a relief. The woman’s feet seemingly say, “We have come so far, it is over” (Line 8). The woman, now dead, is glad that they’re not subjected to the human condition. The act of becoming an object is framed as a form of liberation, suggesting that in death, the woman transcends the expectations and limitations imposed upon her by society. Countering the ideas developed by MacKinnon and others, being a woman doesn’t automatically make a person an object. The woman must use Competition and Hard Work to turn herself into an object. Whether through fate or free will, she becomes “perfected” and joins the ranks of classic literary figures and myths. In “Edge,” objectification is illustrious, not an overt sign of inferiority or oppression.