--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am sending back the key that let me…" description: "\"I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard's study; because he would make love to me I am sending back the key; in his eye's darkroom I can s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg" --- # I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard's… ![“I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard's study; because he would make love to me I am sending back the key; in his eye's darkroom I can see my X-rayed heart, dissected body: I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard s study.” quote by Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg) > “I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard's study; because he would make love to me I am sending back the key; in his eye's darkroom I can see my X-rayed heart, dissected body: I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard s study.” [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects a dangerous intimacy, exposing vulnerability and self‑analysis. **In simple terms:** Turning away from harmful love reveals inner truth. Key Takeaway Beware seductive danger, seek self‑knowledge. Themes love danger self‑discovery identity Mood introspective melancholic Type poetic literary When to use this quote - relationship choices - creative writing - therapy sessions - personal boundaries Key Concepts psychology symbolism self‑examination Questions to Reflect On - What boundaries protect you from toxic love? - How does self‑analysis aid healing? A Different Perspective The metaphor may obscure practical advice on relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [My wife ain't gonna make love to me if I got no money!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/my-wife-ain-t-gonna-make-love-to-me-if-i-got-no-money/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [Make love to me like you know I am better than the worst thing I ever did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/make-love-to-me-like-you-know-i-am-better-than-the-worst-thing-i-ever/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [I'd sit around dreaming that the boys I saw at shows or at work - the boys with silver earrings and big boots -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/i-d-sit-around-dreaming-that-the-boys-i-saw-at-shows-or-at-work-the/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [Harriet van Horne He makes love to me expertly, mechanically, coldly... He's pressing all my buttons, as if I were a pocket calculator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/harriet-van-horne-he-makes-love-to-me-expertly-mechanically-coldly-he/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Bluebeard, who said to Scottland Yard, How do I know how many wives I've killed? I'm not an accountant! Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/bluebeard-who-said-to-scottland-yard-how-do-i-know-how-many-wives-i/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [“The others just stopped and stared at him. “Correct me if I be wrong, little man,” Bluebeard said, “but ye do be wishin’ to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-riley/the-others-just-stopped-and-stared-at-him-correct-me-if-i-be-wrong/) [James Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-riley/) > [“words rarely mean much when it comes to trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-sawant/words-rarely-mean-much-when-it-comes-to-trust/) Rohit Sawant > [“As his dark closet shows, Bluebeard was a collector at heart, and even after dispatching a wife, could not let her fully depart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuli-barzilai/as-his-dark-closet-shows-bluebeard-was-a-collector-at-heart-and-even/) Shuli Barzilai > [“That was an ordinary way for a patriotic American to talk back then. It's hard to believe how sick of war we used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-an-ordinary-way-for-a-patriotic-american-to-talk-back-then/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Fakin’? No,” the captain said, giving her a careful stare. “But don’t be misunderestimatin’ Captain Bluebeard anytime soon, lassie. I don’t be who ye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-riley/fakin-no-the-captain-said-giving-her-a-careful-stare-but-don-t-be/) [James Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-riley/) > [“What are blue-stockings?' asked Tommy. Naturally you don't know,' replied the other. 'If you did, you would sympathize more with Bluebeard. They were ladies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/what-are-blue-stockings-asked-tommy-naturally-you-don-t-know-replied/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Blood was flowing – in Bluebeard’s house, in the abattoirs, in the circuses where God had set his seal to whiten the windows. Blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/blood-was-flowing-in-bluebeard-s-house-in-the-abattoirs-in-the/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) ## More by Sylvia Plath > [“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/it-was-a-queer-sultry-summer-the-summer-they-electrocuted-the/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I love life. But it is hard and I have so much, so very much to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-love-life-but-it-is-hard-and-i-have-so-much-so-very-much-to-learn/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [... These are my hands My knees. I may be skin and bone, Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman. ... --Lady Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/these-are-my-hands-my-knees-i-may-be-skin-and-bone-nevertheless-i-am/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Sure, I’m dramatic and sloppily semi-cynical and semi-sentimental. But, in leisure years I could grow and choose my way. Now I am living on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/sure-i-m-dramatic-and-sloppily-semi-cynical-and-semi-sentimental-but/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“People were made of nothing so much as dust, and I couldn't see that doctoring all that dust was a bit better than writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/people-were-made-of-nothing-so-much-as-dust-and-i-couldn-t-see-that/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“I couldn't stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-couldn-t-stand-the-idea-of-a-woman-having-to-have-a-single-pure/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I saw the gooseflesh on my skin. I did not know what made it. I was not cold. Had a ghost passed over? No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-saw-the-gooseflesh-on-my-skin-i-did-not-know-what-made-it-i-was-not/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I have to live my life, and it is the only one I’ll ever have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-have-to-live-my-life-and-it-is-the-only-one-i-ll-ever-have/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“The city had faded my tan, though. I looked yellow as a Chinaman. Ordinarily, I would have been nervous about my dress and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/the-city-had-faded-my-tan-though-i-looked-yellow-as-a-chinaman/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Joy:show joy & enjoy: then others will be joyful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/joy-show-joy-enjoy-then-others-will-be-joyful/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [A million years of evolution, Eric said bitterly, and what are we? Animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/a-million-years-of-evolution-eric-said-bitterly-and-what-are-we/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“I have stitched life into me like a rare organ --from "Three Women: A Poem for Three Voices", written 1962”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-have-stitched-life-into-me-like-a-rare-organ-from-three-women-a/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [It is so much safer not to feel, not to let the world touch me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/it-is-so-much-safer-not-to-feel-not-to-let-the-world-touch-me/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“Flute Notes from a Reedy Pond" Now coldness comes sifting down, layer after layer, To our bower at the lily root. Overhead the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/flute-notes-from-a-reedy-pond-now-coldness-comes-sifting-down-layer/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“The most saddening thing is to admit that I am not in love. I can only love (if that means self denial - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/the-most-saddening-thing-is-to-admit-that-i-am-not-in-love-i-can-only/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) [Explore all 1,098 Sylvia Plath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) ## More Bluebeard quotes > [“What are blue-stockings?' asked Tommy. Naturally you don't know,' replied the other. 'If you did, you would sympathize more with Bluebeard. They were ladies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/what-are-blue-stockings-asked-tommy-naturally-you-don-t-know-replied/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Fakin’? No,” the captain said, giving her a careful stare. “But don’t be misunderestimatin’ Captain Bluebeard anytime soon, lassie. I don’t be who ye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-riley/fakin-no-the-captain-said-giving-her-a-careful-stare-but-don-t-be/) [James Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-riley/) > [“That was an ordinary way for a patriotic American to talk back then. It's hard to believe how sick of war we used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/that-was-an-ordinary-way-for-a-patriotic-american-to-talk-back-then/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“As his dark closet shows, Bluebeard was a collector at heart, and even after dispatching a wife, could not let her fully depart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuli-barzilai/as-his-dark-closet-shows-bluebeard-was-a-collector-at-heart-and-even/) Shuli Barzilai > [“words rarely mean much when it comes to trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-sawant/words-rarely-mean-much-when-it-comes-to-trust/) Rohit Sawant > [“The others just stopped and stared at him. “Correct me if I be wrong, little man,” Bluebeard said, “but ye do be wishin’ to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-riley/the-others-just-stopped-and-stared-at-him-correct-me-if-i-be-wrong/) [James Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-riley/) > [Bluebeard, who said to Scottland Yard, How do I know how many wives I've killed? I'm not an accountant! Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/bluebeard-who-said-to-scottland-yard-how-do-i-know-how-many-wives-i/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [“Blood was flowing – in Bluebeard’s house, in the abattoirs, in the circuses where God had set his seal to whiten the windows. Blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/blood-was-flowing-in-bluebeard-s-house-in-the-abattoirs-in-the/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) Browse all 9 Bluebeard quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard's study; because he would make love to me I am sending back the key; in his eye's darkroom I can see my X-rayed heart, dissected body: I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard s study.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sylvia Plath" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-into-bluebeard-s-study-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bluebeard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-into-bluebeard-s-study-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/sylvia-plath-149_body_i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-in_934869.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am sending back the key that let me into bluebeard's study; because he would make love to me I am sending…” — Sylvia Plath", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sylvia Plath", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am sending back the key...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-into-bluebeard-s-study-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-sending-back-the-key-that-let-me-into-bluebeard-s-study-because/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```