The analysis of “She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways”

by William Wordsworth

Considering the title

The title creates expectations in the reader, or rather it raises curiosity about the “she”, the reason why she lived there and, last but not least, why “the Untrodden Ways” were not so attended.

The structure analysis

The text is a poem of formal structure, it is arranged into three quatrains (a stanza of four lines each) where the lines are of different length. In the first stanza the poet introduces the character, whereas in the second the poet describes the “she” by metaphors. Finally, in the last one, the reader discovers the importance of that girl for the poet.

The denotative analysis

The poem starts with the introduction of the character, maybe a girl, “she” or a young woman, “A Maid” who “dwelt” alone, unrevealed and distant.                                                                                                                                                The writer moves on describing the beauty of the girl, which is not immediately visible. The girl is precious because she is unique, “Fair as a star, when only one is shining in the sky”. Thus the reader is invited to recognized it, even if it is “half hidden from the eye”.                                                                                                                                                In the end the poet refers to her with the past tense; Lucy, that’s the name of the girl (just revealed in the last stanza), has died and the poet both wonders about the difference her death makes for him and discovers how important was that woman for him.  

The connotative analysis

The poem has an ABAB rhyme scheme and there are no alliterations or assonances. As a romantic writing it has a relatively simple language which emphasis speaker’s emotions and feelings. In addition, the ballad style contributes to create the suspense of a narrative story, the climax increases all over the poem until the turning point in last quatrain, when the reader finds out that Lucy has died.                                                                                                                          The poem celebrates a young woman by associating her with the beauties of nature, as a matter of fact she is both liked to “A violet” and to “a star”. These comparisons exemplify Lucy as an embodiment of all beauty, even if she “dwelt” and died in loneliness.                                                                                                                                                              The message of the poem lays in the very last sentence where the poet implicitly warns the reader of the consequences of non-acting. In fact, although the poet seems to be in love with Lucy he just observed her life without interfering, thus she died alone. Then the poet encourages and suggests the reader to catch opportunities and do not let them fading away, because time passes and you might deeply regret chances that slip through your fingers.