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That does not keep me from having a terrible need of—shall I say the word—religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars.Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother

The town does not exist

except where one black-haired tree slips

up like a drowned woman into the hot sky.

The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars.

Oh starry starry night! This is how

I want to die.

It moves. They are all alive.

Even the moon bulges in its orange irons

to push children, like a god, from its eye.

The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars.

Oh starry starry night! This is how

I want to die:

into that rushing beast of the night,

sucked up by that great dragon, to split

from my life with no flag,

no belly,

no cry.

In Anne Sexton’s poem “The Starry Night”, the speaker seems attracted to suicide as a form of power; however, this surrender and annihilation can paradoxically be interpreted as a deliberate choice or a striving towards life.

Mystical Power in the Last Stanza

The speaker highlights the themes of mystical power in the final stanza. It begins “into that rushing beast of the night,/ sucked up by that great dragon”, providing another illustration of mythical power (13-14).

The “great dragon”, “rushing beast of the night”, and “unseen serpent” all illustrate powerful forces to which the speaker longs to surrender. They are powers nonexistent in the town; like the blazing, luminous stars, they are a part of the glory of the sky. The word “rushing” also complements the atmosphere of agitation and motion.

The speaker then completes the poem by describing the true oblivion she seeks: “to split/ from my life with no flag,/ no belly,/ no cry” (14-17). The structure of the last stanza reflects this self-immolation; the lines get shorter, and the poem fades into nothing.

Connotation of “To Split”

The word “split” presents some difficulties and adds complexity to the poem. To split does not mean to destroy; splitting instead usually implies a breaking into many parts.

As opposed to a complete annihilation, then, perhaps the speaker aims towards a more dichotomous goal; a separation instead of a destruction. “Split” can also mean “to leave”, though in a very colloquial sense; yet this definition would fit, implying that the speaker longs to leave her life.

Another interpretation of “split” can be to break. The speaker, however, does not want to split her life; she wants to split from her life. That distinction, then, implies that she is not really seeking total annihilation, but instead something greater.

This theme of not just destroying, but also seeking, is imperative to the meaning of the poem.

Implications of “No Belly”

The penultimate line, “no belly”, also offers several implications. Perhaps the most obvious interpretation is that she will have “no belly”; literally, she will not have a corporal body anymore.

However, “belly” can also refer to the womb; this creates several other possibilities. Perhaps the speaker wants to surrender her human capacity to create in order to become part of the vast power of the sky. The poem has already established that the stars and moon are alive and able to create.

Finally, “belly” can also mean the “inside or interior of anything”; with “no belly”, the speaker may be referring to a sort of destruction in which she has no inside. These interpretations all refer to a loss of self; it strongly suggests a loss of physical existence.

Becoming Part of the Sky

The speaker in the poem longs to separate from herself and become part of the glory of the sky. The poem portrays the sky as full of wonder and mythical power; yet religious or spiritual references are notably absent.

In the epigraph of the poem, Vincent Van Gogh writes in a letter to his brother “That does not keep me from having a terrible need of -- shall I say the word -- religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars”. For the speaker of this poem, too, the glory of the stars serves as a subsitute for religion.

Perhaps the speaker’s desperation for suicide stems from this same source; the speaker doesn’t want to have religion, but instead wants to become part of this infinite glory and power. This displays the paradox of suicide, a mixture of both control and surrender; the speaker wants to choose how her life will end, but ultimately aims for complete self-annihilation.

Longing for Life, Not Suicide: “The Starry Night” as Rebirth

However, the speaker’s longing for the starry night can also be interpreted as a leap into life instead of death. Throughout the poem, the town is portrayed as silent, blank, dead; contrastingly, the sky rages with life and glory.

Although the speaker repeatedly says “this is how I want to die”, maybe the poem reflects the speaker’s desire not to end her life but to begin truly living. Then, the poem becomes a sort of reverse suicide; not a wish to move from life to death, but death to life, almost like a birth or rebirth.

Despite the denial of religion in the prefacing quote, the turn towards the awe and wonder of the sky suggests underlying religious or spiritual themes. Perhaps, though there exists an implicit rejection of religion, the speaker does in her desperation for the sky’s glory seek a higher being or truth.

Sexton and Van Gogh’s Inner Conflict

Like art, poetry often consists of many layers of meaning and several possible interpretations. Anne Sexton’s “The Starry Night”, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, portrays the night as powerful and majestic; it is also illustrated as agitated and hot. The speaker clearly wants to become part of this glory; it is, however, uncertain whether this represents death or life.

Sexton and Van Gogh had several similarities; both struggled with mental health, and both eventually committed suicide. Van Gogh actually painted “The Starry Night” while at an asylum (Pioch).

Perhaps the conflicts within the poem and painting reflect the inner torment and conflict within the artists; if so, then their struggles for something greater also serve to illustrate the vivid lushness of their hopes and imaginations.Read more at Suite101: