The Death of a Soldier

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1923

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Autumn

Autumn is the most important symbol throughout “The Death of a Soldier.” It is mentioned twice in the poem, creating a refrain. It appears in the first stanza, “As in a season of autumn” (Line 2), and then in the third stanza, “As in a season of autumn” (Line 8). Both of these lines are identical with the exception of punctuation. The repetition of the line mirrors the cyclicality of the seasons. Autumn comes every year without fail and the speaker makes an explicit comparison between fall and the soldier’s death. In addition to the cycle of the seasons, fall is the period just before winter when flora and fauna prepare for hibernation. Fall represents a time of death and decay, making it an apt metaphor for the season of warfare. The speaker specifically talks about wind in autumn, creating an image of leaves swept up into the air by the breeze before falling to the earth: “As in a season of autumn / When the wind stops” (Lines 8-9). Death makes the world still for only a moment—but no one notices, and the cycle continues.

Wind

The wind throughout “The Death of a Soldier” signifies the moment of death for the soldier. Wind first appears in the last line of the third stanza, “When the wind stops,” (Line 9), and again in the first line of the fourth stanza, “When the wind stops and, over the heavens” (Line 10). Both lines point specifically to the moment in which the breeze stops and leaves fall to the ground—however, although the wind on the ground has suddenly ceased blowing, the clouds above in the sky remain moving along. This represents the way that, many miles away, on the battlefield, people are dying en masse, but back home everyone moves along their way. The wind stops when a soldier dies but still carries people along their everyday lives and routines. The wind, like the leaves falling in autumn, is a mundane event and it is the only memorial or pomp the dead soldier receives.

Clouds

Clouds are a crucial symbol in the poem but do not appear until the final stanza: “The clouds go, nevertheless, / In their direction” (Lines 11-12). Clouds symbolize both the people back home and the war itself. Both the civilians and the war continue on in their routines regardless of the soldiers who are dying near and far. The clouds are unaffected by the wind that stopped blowing down below, they are completely separate from the events taking place on the ground. The clouds are in a privileged position. In addition, the clouds appear to be selfish, the speaker calling specific attention to how the clouds move “In their direction” (Line 12). It is not that the clouds move arbitrarily through the sky, but they move in their own directions, only concerned with themselves. The clouds represent the way that everyone only considers themselves; this reflects the cynical attitude of the speaker. The poem criticizes the apathy toward the soldiers who are dying far away, forgotten and alone.