In the
first stanza, the whiteness of "the snow" might be considered symbolic of the purity
and innocence that the speaker, the witch, is trying to convey. Alternatively, the fact that she
is leaving marks in the snow, spoiling its purity, could foreshadow the fact that, later on, her
appearance of purity and innocence is revealed to be misleading.
In the
second stanza, the speaker also tries to suggest that she is innocent and harmless by claiming
to be but "a little maiden." The word "maiden" is often synonymous with
"virgin" and thus symbolic of virginity, which in turn connotes innocence and purity.
This impression of innocence is what tricks the speaker's victim into letting her into his
home.
In the third stanza, the speaker (who is now the person who has
admitted the speaker into his home) says that "the quivering flame / Sunk and died in the
fire." The fire...
No comments:
Post a Comment