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Kevin Treman
Mrs. Getchell
CP English 12
May 24, 2012
Nature in “Elegy for Jane”
Trees, flowers, wind, fruit, beauty; all of these share in the topic of nature. Nature
is everywhere and in everything. Nature is even used in many works of literature to
show life, death, peace, war, and many other symbols. In “Elegy for Jane”, Theodore
Roethke uses nature to describe Jane’s personality. Jane is a student of the speaker.
When Jane dies, the speaker wishes that the two of them could have had a relationship,
but knows that he has no right to love her in that way (548).
In the first stanza, Roethke shows that Jane is such a happy go lucky person that
even the twigs and small branches respond to her when she sings (548). The speaker
connects Jane with the refreshing elements of nature as well as the beauty that nature
adds to everyday life. Nature brings life to a dull world and Roethke is showing the
youthfulness of Jane through the playfulness of the twigs and branches.
Like the twigs and the branches, the leaves also responded to Jane in a loving
manner. Roethke mentions that, “The leaves, their whispers turned to kissing” (548).
This shows that the speaker thought, everything honored Jane’s presence, while she
was alive. To the speaker, time stood still whenever Jane was in his midst, and to him
nature spoke to Jane and Jane spoke to nature.
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Mold, or earth, is also used to show that Jane was so beautiful that even the
earth could not withhold from singing. “And the mold sang in the bleached valleys under
the rose” (584). To many, the earth is a place of death and despair, but to the speaker,
the earth is a place of love, laughter, and life. The speaker is torn because he will no
longer get the chance to love Jane any longer. She is just another student, or memory
that has come in to his life and left it.
The speaker also compares Jane to birds. In the third stanza, Jane is compared
to a Sparrow. “My Sparrow, you are not here” (584). In this quote from “Elegy for Jane”,
the speaker is comparing Jane to a sparrow that has left, because he is making reference to the death of Jane. He keeps waiting for Jane to return but she does not and
never will. Like in the third stanza, the fourth stanza also compares Jane to a bird.
Roethke writes, “My maimed darling, my skittery pigeon” (584). This shows the speaker
comparing Jane to a skittery pigeon.
In conclusion, the speaker proclaims that he loves Jane in the fourth stanza by
his use of imagery. Roethke puts it this way, “Over this damp grave I speak the words of
my love” (584). The speaker explains his love for Jane through the imagery of the elements of nature. The speaker also expresses his grief over Jane’s death and his desire
to have a relationship even though he is kept from pursuing her because of his role as
teacher. Along with the twigs, leaves, and mold, the speaker also compares Jane to a
sparrow, and a skittery pigeon. All of these elements of “Elegy for Jane” give Jane a fun,
playful quality. Nature has many aspects; plants, animals, life, death, even elements,
and minerals. Nature is all around and according to Roethke, nature shows the love one
has for another.
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Work Cited
Roethke, Theodore. “Elegy for Jane.” Themes In World Literature. Ed. George Elliott.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. 236-240. Print.
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