Eat Me - Literal Meaning

In Eat Me, a woman is fed up by her male partner until she is obese. At some points, it seems she enjoys food and at others, it seems she is being force-fed. At one point, she becomes so fat that when she rolls on top of him to engage in intercourse, she suffocates him and he dies. The ending is rather ambiguous as she tells us that there was "nothing left in the house to eat" implying that she either starved or ate her partner

Eat Me - Title

The title gave several initial impressions

1. Food - The most obvious link is to food and fatness
2. Wonderland/Fairytale - This is a phrase seen on food in Alice in Wonderland and gives us the impression of a fantasy world. This tells us that this may not have really happened and it may be an extended metaphor.
3. Temptation - There is a sexual element to this phrase that links to the sexual themes present in this poem
4. Control - This is imperative and is a command

 

Eat Me

Eat Me was written by Patience Agbabi. She is a British, bisexual, feminist woman and so her experiences will likely translate into her poetry, making them full of issues relating to sexuality and the life of a woman. We can see the themes of misogyny, gender roles and body shaming present in Eat Me

Quotes from Scene 1

BLANCHE: All of the burden descended on my shoulders

Blanche felt that she had too much to take care of and that is was too much for her. This was a contributing factor in Blanche's mental decline and becomes an explanation for why she needs people to take care of her now.

Quotes from Scene 1

BLANCHE: You left

Blanche holds a grudge against Stella for leaving

Quotes from Scene 1

BLANCHE:
Well, Stella--you're going to reproach me, I know that you're bound to reproach me

This shows Blanche's guilt. She expects Blanche to blame her because she blames herself. This is a contributing factor in Blanche's mental decline.

Quotes from Scene 1

[STELLA looks up with a radiant smile]

Stella adores Stanley - her love for him is unquestionable. She is at her happiest talking about him. Again, to an audience of the past, this wouldn't be necessarily worrying - it would simply serve to portray her as a doting housewife, the 'ideal woman.' A modern audience can recognize this attitude as worrying.