The Untrodden Ways

The Untrodden Ways

She dwelt among the untrodden ways

"She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" The "untrodden ways" in my opinion is a metaphor for being alone or in isolation from human society. It could also mean in light of the next stanza that she never had a lover. “She was maid with none to praise and very few to love” means that she never has a lover or very few of them.
Lucy is a child of nature, unmarried (a fair maiden), very few people knew her. But there is also the fact that she might be happy living this way, in isolation, she decided her how she wanted to live and was pleased with the decision she made.
She is also unique, beautiful and shy. She is there for people to see "violet by a mossy stone, half hidden from the eye”. Means she was beautiful but none could appreciate just how beautiful. But she is shy, so people choose to ignore her. The violet which gives a very modest, shy feeling through the use of words such as "half hidden" and "unknown”. "Fair as a star when only one is shinning in the sky."
She is special in the writer's eyes, she is visible for everyone to see but people don't understand her, they choose to ignore her and leave her in isolation.
There is a significant shift right before the last line of the poem. It is here that emotion is first expressed by the writer. The long "oh" carries all of the emotion of the poem, only at this point the emotion is grief. She lived unknown and died unknown; her death didn't make a difference in anyone's life... Except for one person, who is the writer? It made a huge difference in his life.
He lost his love, and does not see that point in continuing. His life seems pointless now that Lucy is gone. The speaker seems to be in love with a woman who has gone unnoticed by all others, but him.

Similar Essays