The Red Wheelbarrow Meaning

It’s a mystery that so much can be said in a mere sixteen words. In William Carlos Williams’ “The Red Wheelbarrow,” the reader discovers a scene offers a tremendous amount of imagery and meaning in the minimal four stanzas. The reader may be initially confused at the meaning of the poem, since there is hardly anything to grasp on, but with effective dissection of the poem, the reader can discover the underlying beauty of this powerful poem. The author of this poem artfully uses odd breaks in rhythm, surprising imagers, and a not-easily-seen theme to build a highly effective and beautiful poem.

The slightly odd break in the stanzas grasps the reader's’ attention and draws them into the meaning of the poem. The first line reads, “so much depends,” with a break and then on the next line “upon.” This is slightly unsettling to the reader who is used to nicely rhythmic and smooth sentences, so this irregular break in a poetic stanza further draws the reader into the poem. Even though he only uses four words, these short four words provide just the right

Therefore, Williams uses his words powerfully to draw the imagery together in this poem. In the third stanza, the poem reads, “glazed with rain/ water.” Though he is simply talking about the red wheelbarrow, these words imply that the wheelbarrow is not an old, rusty wheelbarrow, but rather a shiny one where the water is reflecting off of it. The image of the wheelbarrow being “glazed” is infinitely more powerful for the reader than just saying the wheelbarrow was “covered” in water or the wheelbarrow “had water on it.” It’s incredible how Williams can use just those few words -- only four, to be exact -- to create such a vibrant image. Additionally, the word “glazed” provides a deeper meaning that this is a moment frozen in time. Pretty soon, the water will disappear and the moment will be lost, but for now, the reader must enjoy the beautifully poignant