Lucy: A Oneness with Nature

The name Lucy is used so much in literary fiction, particularly for virginal and pure characters. Some examples would be Lucy Pevensie of The Chronicles of Narnia series and Lucie Manette of A Tale of Two Cities. Tragedy seems to surround these females. I find it fascinating that this name is such a safe bet for girl characters.

After reading "Lucy Gray," it's occurred to me that Lucy is on a journey. The journey being her life. When the storm comes before it's supposed to, it really symbolizes a surprise ending to a short life. The responsibility of having to go out into the storm to help her mother turns out to be too much for Lucy. Her father is forcing her to grow up to fast, and she becomes lost. People should be able to grow at a healthy pace, like plants. When her foot prints end, and her parents find her by the bridge, she is no longer their little girl (the foot prints having represented her youngness). She has graduated into a state of being that her parents will never know. Lucy's death causes her to form a oneness with nature that she probably longed for before but was denied because of her parents.

Wordsworth got the idea for "Lucy Gray" from a story his sister once told him. Spiritualizing the character helps the girl live on in our minds. If the poem had ended with death, and no afterlife, it would not have been as haunting.

Solitary Ghost Song

"Yet some maintain that to this day she is a living Child" (57). Surely, to the people surrounding her, Lucy Gray had become apart of the moor, and her death did just register completely. It is possible that she haunts the moor still, and that Wordsworth means for her spirit to live on even after her snowy death. The "lonesome Wild" could also be used to describe her, as her human interaction was most likely quite limited to her parents, and she maintained her wildness, despite being pure (60). Again, the similarities between "Lucy Gray" and Wuthering Heights and The Secret Garden come up, as the moors and wildness often go hand in hand. From Catherine and Heathcliff, to Mary Lennox, to Lucy Gray. All these characters had such strong connections with the moors. Wordsworth seems to believe that humans and natures should have a stronger relationship. "Lucy Gray" shows how haunting one of these can be.

O'er rough and smooth she trips along,
And never looks behind;
And sings a solitary song
That whistles in the wind.

What I think of when I read this last stanza his Lucy meshing with nature. As she sings her song, it whistles in the wind, as if she IS part of the wind.

A Snowy Death

As the parents track Lucy's tiny footprints, one gets a strong sense of morbidness. She had probably played at these exact places many times before, with not a care in the world. However, at these places just the night before, you was probably fighting for her life, freezing to death. The places she had so often frequented had combined to become a death scene. It is especially difficult to read this part, since few things are as terrifying as a child being hurt or dying. The "Bridge" is where the tracks end, and serves as a sort of coffin for Lucy, protecting her in her death (52).

Wretched and Ready to Give Up

I adore the word "wretched" (33) It's just an extreme sounding word for the simple act of being unhappy. In this case, as Lucy's parents search high and low for their daughter, the word is so fitting and impacting. The harsh weather does not even leave a clue for the parents as to where their daughter is. In essence, she was swallowed up. Just the thought of their panic and helplessness helps to communicate the emotion of the poem thus far with ferocity. The "Bridge of Wood" is a simple enough title, but holds a sense of dread as the adults see it on the moor. Just as their about to give up and have declared "In Heaven we all shall meet" , the mother spies her daughter's foot print (42). What strikes me most about this stanza is that the parents have given up on finding their little girl! I cannot even imagine giving up on a life after only one night of looking. This begs the question, what kind of parents are they really?

Held Back by the Storm

Despite her desolate surroundings and the weather, Lucy actually frolics along the mountain through the snow (26). She is unknowingly skipping to her death, never to see her mother and father ever again. The storm surprised her, and she couldn't escape it (29). Lucy would never reach the town, and how ironic is it that her best friend, nature, would be the death of her? At this point in the poem, it becomes evident that her death will be as mysterious to the people who had observed her before, as her existence.

Sending a Little Girl Into a Snow Storm = Worst Father Ever

Lucy's father predicts a snowy night, and sends her into the storm with a lantern to provide light for her mother. Lucy, obviously either eager to please her father, or worried for her mother, gladly agrees to venture into danger. I am struck by how simple Wordsworth's writing can be at times. He obviously does not want flowery language to take away from the true beauty and horror of the story. Not to say that his writing isn't beautiful, but there is a simple loveliness about it. Truthfully, Lucy father sounds terrifying. He has a hook. There is such a purity about Lucy. She is so obedient of her parents and doesn't seem to show a single fault. In essence, she is the purest form of human.

Capitalizing Nature

Wordsworth continuously capitalizes things found in nature. Within the third stanza, that would be "Hare," "Green," and "Fawn" (9-10). Once again, nature comes out as one of the most important elements in his story. It is a character, as if Lucy and her surroundings are equal. The narrator is saying, however, that those things found in nature can still be found. Unfortunately though, Lucy Gray will never be seen again. Who is Lucy and where did she go?