Seizing the Night
The phrase "seize the day" applies to this poem, except the setting of the poem is nighttime. Seizing the day means making the most of the present moment. This is represented by the speaker's candle burning at both ends, showing how she lives her life to the maximum extent possible. This could refer to her work or her personal life (partying, socializing, loving). The speaker's own vitality is being used up so fast that it will not last the night. It is not clear whether this implies the feeling of exhaustion and burnout or the speaker's physical death. Either way, it is not presented as a problem; the speaker exclaims how lovely her light is. Though the speaker's tone can be interpreted to have a self-mocking edge it, nowhere does she indicate that she means to change her ways.
Light and Vitality
In the poem, the light from the speaker's candle represents her vigor, intensity, and passion. By celebrating her own light, the speaker argues that choosing to express herself and live in her full truth is the path to living a good life. It doesn't matter to the speaker that her candle won't last the night, because the light is so beautiful. She embraces her short-lived vitality even if it will lead to her demise.
Challenging Gender Norms
In "First Fig," the speaker asserts her right to live passionately and vigorously. The poem became very popular among those who wished to live a more decadent lifestyle in the 1920s (both men and women), but this was a particularly radical perspective for a woman to have in the early twentieth century. Millay was both revered and reviled for it. Speakers should never be fully equated with the poet, but this poem offers a glimpse into Millay's own lifestyle. According to scholar Nancy Milford, Millay loved sex, nudity, parties, alcohol, and drugs. She was a nonconformist who took delight in her autonomy.
