Among the many mythical themes present in the poetry of Sylvia Plath, the archetype of the Father figure is one of the most prominent. Plath's life circumstances and creative genius conspire to create a depiction of the male figure that encompasses the traditional mythical associations with God, as well as the integral qualities that define masculinity. The poem "The Collosus" is a depiction of idolatry and humanities search for the archetype of the father-God. In "Daddy" the father myth is approached from an opposite angle, as Plath defines her symbol not as God, but as the opposing force of the Devil. Plath's mythical Father is representative not only of metaphysical concepts, he also embodies all of what is traditionally masculine. The overriding male figure of Plath's poetry is not simply an element of Plath's autobiography, it is a symbol of power and masculinity that is relevant to all humanity.
In the poem "The Collosus" Plath mythologizes her own father. The poem conveys the intense impact that Otto Plath had on his daughter, and the immensity of her mental construction of him after his death. The title alone suggests the power of his memory; the reasons for this importance are various. Firstly, it seems likely that at the time of her father's death the young girl may have regarded her father as God-like, as is the case with young children, and with his death she was locked within this perception of him. In this context it is logical that the image of the father may remain larger than life in the subsequent developmental stages of the girl, certainly impacting Sylvia Plath specifically.
However, in "The Collosus" there is perhaps another explanation for the mythical nature of the father symbol as it appears in Plath's work. In the first lines Plath writes, "I shall never get you put together entirely,/ Pieced, glued, and properly jointed." The implication of this line is that young girl was unable to have her father's presence and instead manufactured a psychic symbol to take the place of the absent, actual man.
