Symbols and Symbolism in The Wraith of the Rose

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Recommended: Theme love in poetry

Symbolism in The Wraith of the Rose

"The Wraith of the Rose" is poem that seems to suggest the dual nature of love and relationships. There is the love and joy that is represented by the natural beauty of the flower, which is accompanied by the bitterness of a love that was lost and the pain that remains. The idea that love sours is not new, but in this poem there is the wraith, which is a ghost, that represents the pain that love can bring.

One of the most interesting sections of the poem that goes from line 13 to 23 and starts with "I wish" in groupings of three reflects the desires of a lover looking back on a past relationship and the longing to go back to the happier days of the relationship. This longing is just as evident in the rest of the poem and is solidified with the symbolism of the wraith. The first groupings of "I wish" start with a genuine sentiment by the author to again be in the place where "the chain was still unbroken" and to have " kept that last fond token". This entire group suggests that the author keeps fond memories of the relationship.

In the next groupings of "I wish" the author starts to point the finger at the other person in the relationship by using the line "I wish you were not all deceit". This is the first instance where the author expresses anger about the break-up the relationship and does not recall memories with fondness. Although the author does address her own faults by saying, "And I so fickle-hearted", she stills holds contempt for her past lover. I am somewhat surprised that it took this long for the author to place blame on the other person because of the fact that most people and selfish and assume that the reason for a relationship not working is always the fault of the other person, not their own.

The third groupings of "I wish" further implicates the other person as the cause for the failure of the relationship and the reason why they are not together now. She writes "I wish you could reclasp the chain" and "I wish- you hadn't drunk champagne". These lines have an honesty about them and ring true to the feelings of a normal person dealing with the loss of a relationship.

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