Millay's Relationships in Sonnet xxxiIn his 1967 book, Edna St. Vincent Millay, James Gray writes that "the theme of all his [Millay's] poetry is the search for 'integrity of the individual spirit" (Gray 6). While searching for the uniqueness of the individual spirit, Millay's poetry, particularly "Sonnet xxxi", is concerned with how the individual functions when involved in a relationship and must make do with the power struggles that occur within of that relationship. Power struggles occur on many levels, but Millay works in "Sonnet xxxi" with one partner's decision to deny their individuality to ensure harmony within the couple. Ultimately, the poem demonstrates that happiness cannot be found when one partner chooses to deny themselves and their individuality. In "Sonnet xxxi", Millay's wife mentally confronts her husband after he insults her intelligence by taking a book away from her and remarking, "What a big book for such a small head!" The woman obeys his insistence to entertain him by primping and preening in fr...