Written by Margaret Atwood, a Canadian poet and novelist, A Sad Child discusses the feelings of unhappiness. It uses a second-person narration, making it seem like the narrator is directly addressing someone- presumably children and teenagers. The poem provides advice realistically, escaping the possibility of being overbearing due to its natural manner.

A Sad Child | Summary

Atwood begins the poem with phrases often heard by sad children. She writes that the sadness is either medically treatable or simply due to age, and therefore should be checked by a shrink. Then, she advises that the addressee “hug your sadness like an eyeless doll” and says they need to sleep in order to get over the sadness.

In the following stanza, the narrator declares rather brusquely that all children are sad, and some get over it while others don’t. She says that rather than dwelling on the negative emotions, one should ‘count their blessings’– she also suggests buying something that would make them happy or taking up a hobby that can help them ‘forget’.

The narrator then asks an important question– ‘forget what?’ What is the reason for the child’s sadness? The answer seems to be past experiences that left a scar, with the example here being an incident during a lawn party which led the child to realize that they are not the favorite.

In the fourth stanza, the narrator describes a situation where “light fails and the fog rolls in and you’re trapped in your overturned body under a blanket or burning car”  which alludes to the nearing of death. This stanza begins the conclusion of the poem. In the final verse, the poet describes death, ending with “none of us is, or else we all are”- the advice they wish to give sad children, a realization which is better to have sooner rather than later.

A Sad Child | Analysis

A Sad Child is directed towards a child or a teenager, hence the second-person narrative which creates the feeling of being on the receiving end of the narrator’s words. This poem highlights the emotions of inexplicable sadness– alluding to depression-, the ways in which one can cope with it, and where it could have stemmed from. It also provides an advice-like reminder in the conclusion for those who are experiencing such feelings. Atwood employs strong imagery, figurative language and very blunt, realistic speech. There is no beating around the bush or sugar-coating, yet it does not come across offensive. This is possibly due to the underlying relatability, and the build-up which the verses pose to a conclusion which reflects a sense of understanding.

A Sad Child | Analysis, Stanza 1

 

You’re sad because you’re sad.

It’s psychic. It’s the age. It’s chemical.

Go see a shrink or take a pill,

or hug your sadness like an eyeless doll

you need to sleep.

Atwood begins with the statement “You’re sad because you’re sad,” which sets the tone for the direct, uncomplicated nature of the poem. The next line, “It’s psychic. It’s age. It’s chemical,” suggests that the narrator is referring to both age as well as depression. This is further confirmed with the next line, which is “Take a pill or see a shrink.” This is one solution the narrator gives the child: if you are feeling sad, then it must be depression- many times a chemical phenomenon- and therefore, you may treat it through therapy or medication. The second solution the narrator provides is “hug your sadness like an eyeless doll you need to sleep.” ‘Eyeless doll’ represents one’s childhood toys, worn out and often missing arms, eyes, buttons. The phrase itself is a metaphor, telling the child to simply accept their sadness– hug it and let it be part of them- in order to overcome it, or else sleep, as such emotions do not usually affect one in their unconscious state.

A Sad Child | Analysis, Stanza 2

Well, all children are sad

but some get over it.

Count your blessings. Better than that,

buy a hat. Buy a coat or pet.

Take up dancing to forget.

The following stanza begins with the equally straightforward statement “Well, all children are sad but some get over it,” once again fitting of the point-blank delivery in this piece, balanced with descriptive metaphors which create a mental illustration while reading. The narrator provides a third array of solutions to ‘forget’ this sadness- counting blessings, buying something, joining a dance class. This differs from the previous ideas, as it is a proposal of positive reinforcement– buying or doing something that may cheer one up, at least for the time being, or remembering the good fortune already present in one’s life. It is not ensured that these techniques will work- after all, is it so easy to cure such depression or sadness?- but it seems to be the narrator’s advice to the child based on personal experience. This can be assumed from the oxymoronic mixture of casual and off-hand, yet spot-on and impactful in their delivery.

A Sad Child | Analysis, Stanza 3

Forget what?

Your sadness, your shadow,

whatever it was that was done to you

the day of the lawn party

when you came inside flushed with the sun,

your mouth sulky with sugar,

in your new dress with the ribbon

and the ice-cream smear,

and said to yourself in the bathroom,

I am not the favorite child.

The narrator then asks “forget what?”- what is the reason for all these ideas, what is the child trying to remove from their mind? It is here that the poem revisits a past incident, indicating it to be a factor to the sadness that still shadows the child. The incident took place during a lawn party– “when you came inside flushed with the sun ,your mouth sulky with sugar, in your new dress with the ribbon and the ice-cream smear.” The very mention of a lawn party and a new dress shows that the child comes from a comfortable family– this links with the line in the previous stanza “count your blessings,” and may insinuate that people are victims of sadness even when outwardly, their life seems perfect. The child goes to the bathroom alone and thinks “I am not the favorite child.” There may have been a specific action that evoked that thought, or it may simply have been an overwhelming realization from smaller elements. Further, words such as ‘ice cream’ and ‘new dress’ impose a cheerful sentiment, yet that is a moment of sadness for the child- it shows that even during happy moments, one may feel upset or alone. It highlights the way childhood trauma or interactions truly do have an impact on a child as they grow older, and can contribute a great deal to their perceptions and mental health.

A Sad Child | Analysis, Stanzas 4, 5

My darling, when it comes

right down to it

and the light fails and the fog rolls in

and you’re trapped in your overturned body

under a blanket or burning car,

 

and the red flame is seeping out of you

and igniting the tarmac beside your head

or else the floor, or else the pillow,

none of us is;

or else we all are.

The final two stanzas of the poem employ the most vibrant and realistic imagery of all the verses. The narrator uses this as a conclusion, explaining to the child in an understanding yet forthright manner the realities of life and sadness, and giving them advice.  The line “when it comes right down to it and the light fails and the fog rolls in and you’re trapped in your overturned body under a blanket or burning car” is indicative of death. “When it comes right down to it” means the final moments of life, and Atwood has illustrated death symbolically through mentions of ‘the overturned body under a burning car,’. The last stanza is a continuation of the fourth one, describing the process of dying through the lens of a car accident.

“And the red flame is seeping out of you and igniting the tarmac beside your head or else the floor, or else the pillow” suggests that in the moment of death, one may be anywhere- in an accident, or in their bed- either way, their life still ends. The “red flame seeping out” may be perceived in two ways- literally, as the blood caused by the previously mentioned car crash, or metaphorically, as the flame of life, or the soul itself, seeping out of the person in their final moments.

Now that the narrator has described death and the final moments before it, what was the advice to be given to the child?

It is conveyed in the last line of the poem: “none of us is; or else we all are.” One first glance, this may seem too simple, or too general- but looking at it in context to the poem sheds a different light on the line. “None of us is, or else we all are” shows that everyone feels sadness in some type of way. One cannot compare their emotions to another’s– no one’s pain is greater or less than the next person’s. Everyone is unique in their feelings and story- and the fact that everyone is unique, ironically, puts us all on the same playing field. We are unique, and being unique is what makes us all the same- that is the commonality. The narrator uses this as a closure, after two stanzas of describing death, in order to show that at the end of our lives, everyone is the same. Through this lesson, the poet may be encouraging children to live their lives more freely, to face their emotions and attempt to find happiness again. After all, despite the emotions we go through during our lives, in the moment of death, none of it matters anymore- we all become the same, facing the same fate.