.png){kind=logo}
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Aqua Vitae: The Inner Seascape of Sylvia Plath
by
Ajla Smajić 1 
1 International Burch University, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the profound and almost mystical connection between Sylvia Plath as a person and the element of water. It traces its presence across prose and personal history but takes her poetry as the biggest focus. Water emerges as a central motif in Sylvia Plath’s work from childhood to adulthood as it is filled with emotional and transformative themes. This draws on biographical insights and highlights how her experienced were shaped by the metaphors of water in comfort and loss. In her work, water is depicted as a dual force, it is healing and secure while also being fear and a tool of destruction. Works such as “Tulips”, “Crossing the River” and “Mirror” are examined to showcase the depth of the seascape which fills her life. In particular, the transitions, transformations, the conscious and the unconscious lines of life. The paper finds that Plath’s use of water imagery not only enriches the emotional depth of her writing but also offers insight into her own world. The personal combines with the natural element to show the ways Sylvia Plath lived her life. Ultimately, the paper argues that understanding Plath’s connection to water provides a deeper appreciation of her literary legacy and herself.
Keywords: Sylvia Plath, water imagery, water symbolism, psychological imagery, symbolism of nature
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE
Smajić A. (2025). Aqua Vitae: The Inner Seascape of Sylvia Plath, MAP Education and Humanities, 6, 24-39. doi: https://doi.org/10.53880/2744-2373.2025.6.24