Anorexic: Key Quotes

“Anorexic” Key Quotes

Quote 1: “Flesh is heretic.” This starkly presents the narrator’s rejection of her physicality. Starting the poem with a phrase that is almost violently anti-body frames the coming struggle as fundamentally religious, a fight between the spiritual and the physical.
Quote 2: “I am the nun of my own gesture” This line reiterates the religious undertones in the poem, while also emphasising her self-made imprisonment. Styled as a nun, she embodies purity and self-restriction reflecting her warped perception towards herself.
Quote 3: “My body is a witch.” The narrator views her body as something to be feared and distrusted. This sentiment taps into historical and cultural discourses of women’s bodies being dangerous, uncontrollable, and associated with witchcraft.
Quote 4: “Heretic. Witch. My history…“ Boland effectively outlines how the societal and personal issues of women are interconnected, hinting at a long history of misogyny. The narrator identifies with victims of religious persecution, her anorexia is rooted in a larger struggle.
Quote 5: “My sin was desire” Boland introduces the idea that the narrator’s struggle is due to her desire, possibly for control over her body or life. This showcases the relationship between the narrator’s actions and her unspoken, deeper motivations.