How is the rose sick in the poem "The Sick Rose" ?

• How is the rose sick in the poem "The Sick Rose" ?

The Sick Rose

Answer: In the very beginning of the poem "The Sick Rose", the poet says that the rose is sick. The rose in the poem represents love. In his vision, the poet sees that love is sick for man's growing tendency to enjoy sensual pleasure. The poet thinks it is a social malaise, and it needs to be reformed. Apparently the rose is sick of an infection caused by an invisible worm. The worm is insidious. In the midst of howling storm at night, it seeks to have sensual pleasure going to bed with the rose. This is dangerous for the rose. 

The poet thinks, sensuous pleasure in the course of making love can destroy life. Here, the poet's attitude towards love is very positive. He does not think love destroys life. But, if the lover takes to carnal pleasure in showing love, it destroys life. 

This is how the worm is trying to infect the rose in the process of making love. The worm at last enters the life of the rose as a lover secretly and tries to cause harm to the rose. Therefore, it is told in the poem that the life of the rose is in extreme danger. In reality, by using the image of the rose, the poet wants to suggest the evil intention of secret love. Without opposing man's intrinsic appeal to love, the poet has blamed the desire for carnal pleasure in love. Here, 'the worm' symbolises Biblical serpent, whereas the rose stands for beauty and innocence. The rose in perhaps unware of the evil design of the worm, and for that it has become sick.