"In Plaster" was a poem written by Sylvia Plath on March 18, 1961. The poem was written while Plath was in St. Pancras hospital in England, immediately following an appendectomy. Her journals, as well as the letters she wrote to her mother, vividly describe the events surrounding the composition of this poem. Interestingly, Plath also wrote another one of her famous poems, "Tulips", on the same day. The events in Plath's personal life surrounding the writing of this poem were fairly chaotic. Two years earlier, Plath suffered an extreme case of writer's block while at Yaddo. She later concludes that her unknown pregnancy with Frieda was the cause of this block. After Frieda's birth, Sylvia pours her entire life into caring for her daughter. A year later, in early 1961, Plath suffers a miscarriage of her second child. A mere month after this occurs, she undergoes an appendectomy. Plath, as concluded from her letters and journals, exhibited a type of schizophrenia during this time period. Her letters to her mother, just days before she wrote the poem, create the image of a happy-go-lucky, ever-optimistic little girl. However, her journals create a very different picture. Sylvia is far more critical of her surroundings, constantly saying that she does not fit in to the false optimism of the hospital environment. Her poem, "In Plaster", seems to be an expression of Sylvia's inner conflict.
             Sylvia's actual inspiration for the poem "In Plaster" was a woman by the name of Joan. Joan was in the hospital bed next to Plath, and according to Sylvia, was "in a cast from toe to bosom". "In Plaster" has a persona, indicating that Plath wanted to express personal opinions and feelings. The title itself can be interpreted several different ways. First, it has the literal connotation of the plaster bandage Plath was wearing following her operation. However, the titl
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