The version of this collection of poems seen by the public was different from the format Plath had originally intended. Published posthumously, the contents of Ariel were significantly changed by Ted Hughes, for reasons perhaps best surmised by the reader. Notes from Plath’s archives reveal that she had intended the volume to have a narrative structure, focusing on the idea of rebirth after a series of traumatic events, including the discovery of marital infidelity. Hughes excised several poems from the original collection and substituted verses written at a later date. The result was a volume that veered toward themes of death instead of rebirth.

Regardless of editorial manipulations, however, Ariel remains a work that is grippingly honest and forthright in its treatment of seemingly commonplace emotions such as joy and grief. Including poems such as "Morning Song" and "Wintering," Plath’s poetry is inspired by her own experiences, but transcends the potential limitations of personal narrative to appeal to the commonalities of human emotion.