Exploring the Early Years of Edna St. Vincent Millay

The early life of "Vincent" is a fascinating story filled with moments that shaped the person she would become. Understanding these formative years provides valuable insight into her character, motivations, and the experiences that influenced her path. This article delves into the key aspects of Vincent's childhood and adolescence, highlighting the environments, relationships, and events that played a crucial role in her development.

The Early Life of Vincent: Foundations and Family

Vincent's early years were marked by constant struggle. Despite having a close-knit family environment that nurtured curiosity and creativity, Vincent struggled to find acceptance among her peers. After her parents separation when she was just eight, Vincent became the primary caregiver for her younger sisters while her mother was out earning a living. Consequently, her family were viewed as outcasts despite the wit and charm of the Millay girls.

• Family Influence: Edna St. Vincent Millay's mother Cora was instrumental in shaping her love of poetry and music. Edna, known as Vincent by her friends and family, struggled under the weight of familial responsibility, which included such personality shaping events as being left with a family friend as a toddler, being responsible for taking caring of her sisters and herself when they all got typhoid and their mother was gone, and being sexually abused by town folk who interpreted their mother's frequent absences as opportunities to harass the pubescent girls. Her father's rare appearances and lack of financial support further labeled the family as irresponsible outcasts.

• Education: Although Vincent was able to attend public school, a long recovery from typhoid fever made traditional schooling difficult. This was compounded by her character. Without a normal home life or a stable address, she was used to doing things on her own terms. Eventually this resulted in her being banned from the classroom. By special arrangement, Vincent did her schoolwork at home and turned it in for her grades. Nevertheless, as she became older, she had a number of close friends and acolytes who admired her wit, intelligence and determination. 

• Community Environment: Vincent moved nearly a dozen times in her childhood. No matter where she lived it was always on "the wrong side of the tracks." If it hadn't been for her talent and the sheer force of her personality she would have ended up in much worse circumstances. Although most of her childhood was spent in small, coastal communities in Maine, her mother's status as a divorce stigmatized the family. Gossip about Cora, Vincent, Norma and Kathleen was rampant

  
  

These foundational experiences laid the groundwork for Vincent's later achievements and personal struggles.

The Role of Education and Early Interests

Cora's determination to make sure her girls were able to read and write both literature and music played a pivotal role in Vincent's early development. Her teachers often came to loggerheads with Vincent until finally they banned her from attending regular classes and instead insisted she be home schooled. But with Cora gone on work assignments much of this education was the responsibility of Vincent herself. Beyond academics, Vincent engaged in extracurricular activities that helped her build confidence and social skills. She formed clubs, played poker, took odd jobs and enjoyed boating in and hiking around the beautiful bay, mountains and hills around Camden, Maine.

How Early Experiences Shaped Vincent’s Future

If it hadn't been for her talent Vincent would have ended up working a dead end job in a small town. However, after she read her poem Renascence to a group of wealthy patrons of a resort near her home, she was offered a chance to go to Vassar College.. Although she struggled with her decision to accept the offer, probably because she had issues of self-worth and insecurities about her schooling, Vincent managed to go and, after four years marked for scholastic ups and downs, she managed to graduate. From there she went to Greenwich Village in New York, then a bohemian hotbed of creativity, and parlayed her skills as an actress, writers and--in a pinch--as a typist to become a world renowned poet.