Her poem ‘Daddy’ is a record of the Europeans’ impression on the supremacy of Hitler, his act of butchering the Whites in general and the holocaust of Jews in special. She appears to be a spokesperson of the whole Europe and describes their fear, anxiety, chaos, disintegration and destruction that resulted in the wake of war. But her style is very unique. She makes use of symbolism and imagery to convey her heartfelt feelings, deep emotions and current indignation under the guise of symbolic implications.

The very title of the poem ‘Daddy’ is suggestive of someone authoritative. In the US, ‘The Supreme Example’ is used as a slang for father. Hence, Plath had these connotations in her mind when she was choosing a suitable title for her widely appreciated poem ‘Daddy’. There will be no fear of contradiction if we say that the word ‘Daddy’ is a symbolic representation of Adolf Hitler who is the finest exemplar of all dictators.

Sylvia, in her famous poem ‘Daddy’, appears to be a narrator of a true and factual warfare which the history cannot forget ever. She deals with the minutest aspects of this heart trembling warful story.

“….… , In the Polish town

Scraped flat by the roller

Of wars, wars, wars.”

History reveals that after gaining full control over all countries in neighbourhood, Hitler decided to extend his dominion beyond the Europe and reached Asia to fight against Russia. The Russian army thrusted him back and enforced his forces to retreat. On his return to capital, Adolf Hitler smelt the rat that the Allies had entered Berlin to defeat him. He could not stand failure; therefore, he preferred to commit suicide and died from a self-inflicted gunshot.

The narrator, in a very skillful manner, presents a queer mixture of prevalent fears, direful destruction and terrific disaster; and the sentiments of celebration, pageantry and gaiety. The whole of Europe celebrated Hitler’s death who had claimed the death of almost six million Jewish men, women and children within a short span of time.

“The vampire who said he was you

And drank my blood for a year

Seven years, if you want to know.”

It was a sparking news for the people who had become psycho patients and anxiety stricken. Hence, his death gave birth to hope, integrity and sense of security which the Europeans had been missing for the last half decade. Sylvia feels the same ray of hope and records her impression in the very opening lines;

“You do not do, you do not do

Any more, black shoe.”

Where ‘Do’ means do exist. These lines speak of Silvia’s (mouthpiece of whole Europe) reaction on the news of Hitler’s death and she at once says in a very detestable tone that he does exist no more. The use of phrase ‘Black Shoe’ (symbolizes dark period but here Plath used it for Hitler) adds scoffing meaning to its preceding line.

As a modern poetess, Plath has wielded symbolism and imagery as her weapons to give utterance to her soul’s voice. She successfully produces the image of black shoe in the minds of the readers which is suggestive of Hitler’s strict and strangling rules imposed on all whites. In fact, she wants to say that they had as less liberty left with them, in their spheres of life, as a foot is liberal in a befitting hob nailed shoe. The European inhabitants were too fettered fast to live a life. Such ideas find expression when Plath writes;

“In which I had lived like a foot

For thirty years, poor and white.”

She reminds us of the metaphysical poetry of John Donne when she makes rare comparisons. Her simile of foot is as matchless and unique as her metaphor of black shoe is. In fact, she wants to say that every European was suppressed and persecuted though innocent by the virtue of being white ( =symbolic representation of purity and innocence).

The Europeans had no other alternate than to pray for God’ Mercy in such miserable conditions. They, the whites, kept praying and he, the black shoe, continued his brutality.

“I used to pray to recover you

Ach, du.”

By ‘Recover’ Plath means ‘to deviate’ (=from monarchy) and ‘Ach, du’ being German phrase, which is used to call out ‘Oh man’ to show disappointment on one’s bad acts, symbolizes here an offensive German man ‘Hitler’.

She could not dare speak or write against the brutality and suppression of the time; therefore, her works were published later after her death.

“The tongue stuck in my jaw

It stuck in a barb wire snare

Ich, ich, ich

I could hardly speak.”

The Europeans and the Jews were equally afraid of the very sight of Hitler.  Plath makes use of the situation and passes ironic statements soaked with satire and calls him a truck ( =Tank here) driver.

“And your neat moustache

And your Aryan eye, bright blue

Panzer man, Panzer man, O You.”

Hitler’s policies enforced the Europeans either to emigrate or to live in remote villages. It is said that the narrator herself lived in a camp in an unknown place. Plath’s choice of word ‘Villagers’ is matchless. It represents the Europeans and their miserable conditions simultaneously.

“And the villagers never liked you

They always knew it was you

Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I am through.”

To conclude, we may say that Sylvia Plath has left no stone unturned in revealing the true picture of Adolf Hitler and his warlike policies, the genocide of the Jews and the miserable conditions of the whole Europe. Plath has recorded her impression and wreaked her vengeance very systematically by making use of such literary devices as irony, satire, symbolism and imagery. She has described the facts like a historian and the readers cannot help appreciating her diction and plethora of images.