The speaker of “The Thought Fox” is thought to be an extension of the poet Ted Hughes as he fights creative stagnation. At the opening of the poem, the speaker feels lonely in the solitude of his internal mind. While the speaker is implied to be a poet, they can stand for an artist of any discipline. As the poem progresses, the speaker opens himself to the influx of inspiration.

Here, the speaker is portrayed as a passive figure; rather than creating art, the art is external to them. The poem is not about the speaker taking action towards a goal but rather about them allowing something to happen. This acts as something that is close to but not quite personification — it is the act of creation itself, rather than the speaker, who is given the agency of the poem.