The unnamed narrator of the poem serves as an observing voice walking through a cold, deserted city. She struggles with insomnia and experiences profound feelings of isolation from the domestic lives visible in the hotel windows around her. Viewing the mannequins in storefronts, she sharply critiques artificial beauty standards and the societal pressure that reduces women to objects meant for consumption.

A highly accomplished American poet who excels academically at Smith College and Cambridge before gaining recognition for her confessional poetry. She maintains a complex relationship with motherhood, balancing her fierce ambition to write with traditional expectations of domesticity. Her writing draws on her deeply personal trauma, severe depression, and observations on the restrictive gender roles of the mid-20th century.

An English poet who enters a passionate but highly turbulent marriage with Sylvia Plath. Their relationship involves severe volatility and complex dynamics. He acts as an editor and deeply influences the trajectory of her literary work and personal life.

A German immigrant and father whose authoritarian parenting style leaves a lasting impact on his daughter. He struggles with untreated diabetes. His parenting and physical absence cause a profound loss of faith in his daughter, a subject she addresses in her later writing.

The mother of Sylvia and Warren, she raises her children in Massachusetts. She maintains a fraught and complicated relationship with her daughter, reflecting broader generational tensions regarding women's roles and careers.

A contemporary confessional poet who shares writing classes with Plath. She actively encourages Plath to write from a distinctly female perspective and to incorporate personal topics into her poetry.

An established American poet who teaches creative writing seminars. His instruction and discussions about incorporating deeply personal, highly emotional material into poetry influence the development of the confessional genre.

The younger brother of Sylvia Plath, born to Aurelia and Otto Plath. He grows up in the Boston area alongside his sister.

The firstborn child of Plath and Hughes. She lives with her mother and younger brother in London following her parents' separation.

The second child of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. He lives with his mother alongside his sister in London during an exceptionally cold winter.