The Lamenting Widow

"A Widow's Lament" by William Carlos Williams is filled with rich details of vivid images painted for the reader. These images are also very abstract and many are symbols representing other things. For example, the yard the widow lives in represents comfort and safety. On the contrary, the meadow her son speaks of represents unchartered territory never before sought out. The motif of white flowers is another symbolism that is reoccurring throughout the work. The white color represents purity, happiness, and innocence. In the beginning when the widow says how the flowers are white that day, she is reminiscing of the days when she and her husband would walk the garden together. Similarly, when the widow talks of falling into the white flowers, this is a symbolism for wanting to become one with the leaves by falling into them and joining in union with her deceased husband. This poem is an allegory, for every element such as the ones mentioned represent another element in the telling of the widow's story.