The setting of the poem is a bedroom at nighttime, presumably the speaker’s own bedroom. This is significant because it establishes the intimate space in which the poem plays out, and it sets the tone for the frustrated speaker to air her concerns openly. She is addressing someone with whom she shares a bed, in their private space where she feels comfortable, and this setting contributes to the speaker’s ability to speak to him without reservation about what is unsettling her. The fact that she is so comfortable in the space, lying in bed, heightens the sense of existential discomfort she is feeling and voicing in the poem. Not even in a space designed to make her feel at ease and relaxed can she find peace while thinking about gender roles and her unfulfilled wishes for sex. The comfortable setting both gives rise to the frankness...