In The Park By Gwen Hardwood Essay

“In the Park” by Gwen Hardwood is a poem about being a mother and what sacrifices and burdens come with entering motherhood. Hardwood is explaining to the reader that when a woman’s life is centered on just raising her children, the woman may feel a loss of self worth and regret for not living her life differently. The speaker in the poem is a woman who feels the burden of raising three children and is being broken down because of it. The man she met in the park represents her life before the birth of her children. After talking with the man she realizes what she has become and it makes her somewhat distraught. The whole poem is about an event of a mother who takes her children to a park. While at the park, she runs into a man that she used to have feelings for and they begin to discuss how their lives have changed and the speaker’s children. The conversation between the two is short and is suggested by the statement, “But for the grace of god…” that the man thanks god that he is not involved with the hustle and bustle of being involved in the woman’s life. As the conversation ends and the man exits the park the woman states, “They have eaten me alive”. This statement gives the reader a greater understanding of what the woman goes through and what she has given up when she

An example of symbolism is seen in the first line of the poem. "Her clothes are out of date" allows the reader to understand that she is not only wearing old clothes but that the woman is losing her sense of self worth. When Hardwood introduces the man as having a “neat head” this symbolically represents that he has a nice clean haircut, and also gives the reader an image of the woman as being rough around the edges. Symbolism is also seen in the children’s behavior. As the children “whine”, and “tug on her skirt” they are seen to be needing constant attention and that they always act like