The Violets Hardwood

Hardwood uses childhood recollections to demonstrate a refined understanding of the irreversible

passage of time and the immortal nature of memory. In Hardwood’s ‘The Violets’, the persona

contact with violets, a sensory motif of the poem, triggers a childhood memory in which she first

discovers the inevitable transience of time. Indentation is used to indicate the time shift into the past.

The child persona’s question to her mother, “Where’s my morning gone” demonstrates her naivety

and obliviousness of the concept of time and also conveys the innocence of childhood. The child,

distressed about the ‘hours of returning light’ which were ‘stolen’ from her, resists her mother’s

attempt of comforting with ‘spring violets’ and her father’s scolding. However,

Hardwood uses childhood recollections to gain a new perspective of the passage of life through

nature. In the Hardwood’s ‘At Mornington,’ water is a significant motif representing the nature of life.

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker recalls a childhood memory in which she first discovers the

concept of death through water as shown when she was “caught by a wave and rolled like a doll

among rattling shells.” The simile highlights the imposing power and hints at the connection between

the turbulence of water and life. The speaker reflects on her initial childish fearlessness and

simpleminded thoughts: “And indeed I remember believing as a child, I could walk on water.” The

notion of walking on water is a biblical allusion to Saint Peter and is symbolic of childhood

innocence. The speaker recalls another memory in which she observes the pumpkins,