19 pages • 38 minutes read
William BlakeThe Little Boy Found
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1789A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Fen/Dale
The two settings in the poem are the “lonely fen” (Line 1) and the “lonely dale” (Line 7). If the description of “lonely” isn’t enough to tell readers how they should interpret these settings, then reading more into the exact implications of each may help clarify their symbolism.
According to Merriam-Webster, a “fen” is a “low land that is covered wholly or partly with water unless artificially drained and that usually has peaty alkaline soil and characteristic flora (as of sedges and reeds)” (“fen.” Merriam-Webster, 2022). These swampy and marshy wetlands are often depicted as misty and obscure. One never knows what resides under the water in the bog, or who awaits out on the moor. An aura of mystery and lurking danger symbolizes the strife of the boy. A child would have a difficult time struggling through the water in a bog or swamp. The setting represents not only a literal journey, but a figurative one, as well. The boy is physically wandering, but with the appearance of God and the spiritual implications this adds to the poem, the child may suffer from a trying spiritual journey, too.
In contrast to a “fen,” the “dale” through which the mother treks is a “valley, vale” (“dale.” Merriam-Webster, 2022). A valley is a low point surrounded by higher land or mountains. Just as the “fen” reflects the emotional journey of the child, the “dale” mirrors the state in which his mother finds herself: stuck in a worrisome pit of fear and despair over the absence of her child that she can’t seem to climb out on her own. It is only through God’s assistance that she is able to regain her child. In both the first and the penultimate lines, the specific settings both add to the overall tone of the poem and symbolize the characters’ mental states.
The Nuclear Family
“Nuclear family” is a sociological and anthropological term, also interchangeable with “elementary family.” A nuclear family can be defined as a family group that consists only of parents and children. This particular family structure was considered to be the most basic form of family construction—the building block of family units. This is the family structure in “The Little Boy Found.” In the first line, readers meet the “little boy lost.” Then, at the end of the first stanza, the “father” figure of God appears (Line 4). In the final stanza, the “mother” is introduced to the reader as a character in the poem. Here is the emblematic nuclear family: father, mother, and child. The idyllic nature of the nuclear family contrasts with the turmoil the child and mother experience at their separation and wandering. The nuclear family structure presented in the poem parallels the Holy Family of the Christian tradition, with Joseph/God as the physical and spiritual father figures, Mary as the Mother of God, and Jesus as the Christ Child. This parallel between the nuclear family and the Holy Family supports the spiritual message conveyed in the poem.
White
The color white typically correlates with innocence or purity. The themes of innocence and purity equal the image of the child—the lost boy. Childhood is often likewise associated with innocence and purity as children are inexperienced with the harsh realities of the world. The color white connects the boy with the image of God, as God “Appeared like his father, in white” (Line 4). God is purity and goodness, just as the child is purity and goodness. They are drawn together so God can save the boy from wandering and return him, still pure and innocent, to his despairing mother. Appearing “in white” (Line 4) may also make the reader picture God as an old man with white hair, as this is an image of God the Father popularly portrayed in the Christian traditional faith.
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