The Fury of Overshoes

Anne Sexton is considered as a confessional poet. She fought depression all of her life and most of her works reflected this inner struggle.

Her poem The Fury of Overshoes reflected so much of her personal dilemmas. It's filled with anxiety, frustration and anger. With the inclusion of the word fury, it showed that she'd been through a several sorts of anger until the end of her life. Perhaps she just used this anger to mask the real emotion that is wanting to escape and that is--fear.

The poem showed how we wanted to grow up but then dreaded growing up at the same time. As a child, we tend to envy those '"big people'' and thinking when would be the time that we'll be part of their world. There's eagerness to also do the things that they are doing, to also experience the things they are experiencing. Because of this eagerness, we end up neglecting to enjoy the experiences as a child; we forgot that these "clumsy" childhood experiences are relevant in the transition stage. It is one way of preparing ourselves to the evils of the real world. Giving up the comforts of "your nightlight, and your teddy, and your thumb" may be hard but then, these changes, these developments are essential part of growing up. By giving up "your nightlight" you are then being conditioned to face the world where the big people are, which is dark-where fear is inevitable. The wolf is no longer under the bed but instead facing you straight in the eyes, ready to attack anytime.