Lament

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1923

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Keys

The keys are an important symbol in the poem. Traditionally, keys are symbolic of opening and closing. A key represents the difference between freedom and incarceration, life and death. Keys also represent metaphorical and literal security. The speaker states that the father kept “Keys and pennies” (Line 9) in the pockets of the coat and pants he wore. The speaker first mentions the keys, and she prioritizes the metaphorical and literal security they offer over the “pennies” (Line 9), which represent the family’s financial security. The mother gives Anne, the daughter, the keys after giving Dan, the son, the father’s pennies. While Dan hold the family’s financial future “in his bank” (Line 12), Anne “shall have the keys” (Line 13) in order to “make a pretty noise with” (Line 14). The mother’s designation implies that Anne will be strong enough to unlock her own future, but she is not strong enough to be financially responsible for the family, because that must be the male’s responsibility. Bearing this interpretation, the keys possess a dual symbolism. They represent both Anne’s ability to achieve her own future, but since she is destined to “make a pretty noise” (Line 14) with the keys, she is also expected to live up to traditional expectations of females at that time.

Pennies

In the American currency system, pennies are the denomination with the least value. They are worth only one cent. The speaker states that the father kept “Keys and pennies” (Line 9) in his pockets. Two lines later, the speaker states, “Dan shall have the pennies” (Line 11). The pennies represent the family’s financial security and future. The speaker gives the penny to Dan, the son, because during Millay’s time, as the son, Dan may have eventually become financially responsible for the family. Also, the speaker mentions Dan first, a subtle implication that as the son he will eventually become the head of the family. The speaker states that Dan will save the pennies “in his bank” (Line 12). This statement reinforces the idea that Dan will eventually oversee the family responsibilities, and that in his future, the will take on the family’s financial responsibilities. Unlike Dan, Anne is given the keys from her father’s pockets “To make a pretty noise with” (Line 14). The mother’s designation creates a hierarchy in the family: Dan will be the responsible one, and Anne will have another form of security as long as she behaves according to the time’s expectations for females. Notably, the name Anne is similar to Dan, with only one letter changing the sound, signifying the arbitrary differences at the root of gender roles, particularly among children.

The Father

Traditionally, and especially during Millay’s time, society treated fathers as the foundation of the family, a solid presence in the family, and the family’s protector and provider. In “Lament,” the father has passed, and the family’s foundation has broken. The father appears to have been a great source of inspiration and comfort in the family. The speaker intends to make sure that the children carry their father with them by making them “little jackets” (Line 4) and “little trousers” (Line 5) from the father’s “old coats” (Line 3) and “old trousers” (Line 5). The father’s “pockets” (Line 7) represent the sources from which the father gathered the family’s resources, including the “Keys and pennies” (Line 9), both representative of the security the father provided for the family. The presence of tobacco, which covers the pennies, would have evoked a smell memory for many readers that hints at the father’s masculinity, but which now symbolizes his absence. The mother gives Dan, the son, the pennies, a symbolic act representing how the father’s legacy now passes to the son.