Symbol Analysis
Trees are used as symbols all the time for nature and a bunch of other stuff. In this poem, they only sprout up once, but when they do they really make an impact. Like any good symbol, these trees represent more than just trees. We know you're dying to hear our take on it, so read below to find out.
- Lines 37-40: In the final stanza, we learn that the "fuzzy things" that the grandmother is seeing are "trees." Instead of being all like, "Oh, wow, I'm so lucky to see the beauty of nature right before I die," the grandmother's last words are, "Trees? Well, I'm tired/ of them." Okay, yeah, the grandmother might have a particular dislike for our leafy friends, but chances are the trees are representing more than just trees here. The trees seem to represent the whole world and life itself. They're the last things the grandmother sees, and when she rejects them, she's rejecting everything she's ever known.