This Analyzes the Techniques in the Poem A Widow's Lament in Springtime

William Carlos Williams uses several contrasting elements in his poem "The Widow's Lament in Springtime" (rpt. In Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 8th edition [Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2002] 775). These elements heighten the emotional effect of the poem. He uses a variety of symbols, contradictions, and emotions to express the magnitude of the widow's loss. Without these elements it would almost be impossible for the reader to experience the widow's sorrow.�

The symbols in "The Widow's Lament in Springtime" give a visual image of the speaker's emotions. The red and yellow flowers represent life. The speaker thinks about her husband's death when she looks at the flowers. The trees of white flowers in the meadows represent death. When the speaker looks at them she wants to lay down beside them and sink into the ground. The speaker also mentions "…the cold fire / that closes round me this year," in lines five and six of the poem. The cold fire shows how her sorrow has engulfed her. William uses nature as a tool to illustrate how the widow copes with her husband's death.�

The visual elements in the poem also coincide with the tone of the speaker. In the first line of the poem, the widow's yard is a metaphor for her sorrow. This implies that the speaker is surrounded by her sorrow. She also describes her grief as being stronger than the masses of flowers in her yard. This shows the extent of her pain. The widow also mentions the white trees in the distance. The trees offer an escape from the speaker's sorrow. The widow states,

I fell that I would like
to go there
and fall into those flowers
and sink into the marsh near them.

The speaker believes that her only escape from her pain is death. This also reveals the despair of the widow to overcome her sorrow.�

William Carlos Williams also uses the springtime as an ironic twist to show how deeply the widow feels for her husband. Spring refers to a new beginning and life. It also implies bright and happy emotions. Seeing the flowers once brought joy to the widow, who states in line 18, "… today I notice them / and turned away forgetting." The joy that the widow once felt is replaced with the sad memory of her husband. She can no longer share her joy with her husband, so that makes her sorrow greater. The irony that Williams uses gives greater meaning to the life of the speaker's husband and creates more of an emotional effect for the reader.�

Williams paints a beautiful picture of a widow's grief. He paints his picture with symbolism, metaphors, and irony. His writing techniques make the reader fully understand the sorrow that the widow is experiencing. Without his techniques, the poem would not have the same impact on the reader.