A poem well capable of invoking deep thoughts, Lucy Gray is the poetic tale of a young girl named Lucy who loses her life in a deadly storm. The poem is a departure from typical Wordsworth text as it touches upon the aggressive side of nature. The primary focus of the text, however, is on Lucy’s holiness, her loss, and her parents’ hopes to see her again.
With this piece here, we shed light on the true meaning of Lucy Gray and its commentary on the afterlife. As usual, you can drop your thoughts in the comments below:
Who is Lucy Gray?
Critics haven’t been able to establish the identity of Lucy Gray. However, it is believed that Lucy isn’t one person. In fact, she is the representation of all the people that the poet has ever loved and lost.
She symbolizes an innocent girl who is away from the sins of the world. The experiences of Lucy Gray in this particular poem are loosely based on an incident involving Wordsworth’s sister, Dorothy.
What is the main theme of Lucy Gray?
It’s a tragic poem that deals with the themes of love, loss, nature, and afterlife. Lucy is a young girl who went out into the snowstorm in the evening never to return home again. The poet writes, “The storm came on before its time: She wandered up and down; And many a hill did Lucy climb: But never reached the town.”
Her parents are worried sick as they start having dreadful thoughts. They go out looking for her following her footmarks.
Lucy’s footprints symbolize a ray of hope. With tearful eyes, the parents imagine Lucy’s struggle through the storm, her trudging, and her efforts to stave off death.
How do Lucy’s parents deal with her loss?
Lucy’s parents track her footprints with the hope that they will find her alive where the marks end. However, the prints end abruptly in the “middle of the plank” on the bridge. They know now that poor Lucy fell off the bridge.
Lucy’s grieving parents find comfort in the thought they might meet Lucy again in heaven. Wordsworth writes, “They wept–and, turning homeward, cried, “In heaven we all shall meet.”
How does Wordsworth explore the theme of the afterlife?
The poet makes it clear towards the end that Lucy’s body was never found as he writes, “Yet some maintain that to this day, she is a living child; That you may see sweet Lucy Gray, upon the lonesome wild.” However, Lucy’s spirit is still around, and people can see her sometimes.
Wordsworth who himself lost his daughter and son, suggests that hope and love aren’t limited to life. Just like the ones living can’t ever get over the dead, dead ones can’t forget their living loved ones. This theory is a source of comfort to many.
What do you think about this heart-moving poem? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below: