“She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways”

Analysis

In the following text I am going to analyse a poem by William Wordsworth: “She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways”. My purpose is to get the meaning of the text in order to make my personal considerations.

The title helps the reader to imagine the context or the content of a literary work. In this specific case it creates curiosity about the solitary female character, who probably lives in an unpopular and unknown place, therefore the reader is encouraged to find out more about this girl.

Considering the layout, the text is arranged into three quatrains in which the lines have different lengths, with ABAB rhyme scheme. On a denotative level the first stanza introduces the character: she lives in an isolated place, in Scotland, where she does not have any relationships, therefore nobody loves her. In the second stanza the poet praises the girl’s beauty, comparing her to a violet you can hardly see and to a solitary star. These are positive comparisons, the poet describes the still unknown girl as unique and beautiful. In the last stanza the poet reveals the girl’s identity, but he refers to her using past tenses. Lucy died and few knew it, but the poet shows deep suffering realizing how important Lucy was to him.

The sense of solitude and apprehension is caused by the style of the ballad. The reader can recognize the climax that increases the suspense of the story until the revelation of Lucy’s death. Also the suspense is provoked by the frequent use of enjambements. The presence of exclamation marks helps the reader, thanks to the echo-effect, to imagine the girl living in an isolated place, far away from popular areas. This sense of mystery is reinforced by the choice of the words: the poem has a simple language, with simple and short words, but all liked to the unknown.  As a consequence the reader is led to keep reading, also motivated by the possible revelation of the girl’s identity, only clear at the end. Moreover, the poem can be considered as an elegiac poem, with delicate descriptions and a mourning tone, produced by the presence of numerous vocals. Wordsworth emphasizes Lucy’s beauty by a simile and a metaphor, using natural elements as terms for comparison. As a matter of fact the semantic field of nature can be found throughout the whole text, to symbolize the uniqueness of Lucy.

The theme is evident in the last stanza, when the poet becomes aware of the loss of the opportunities he had when Lucy was still alive. Time passes quickly and Wordsworth invites the readers to act before it is too late.