Blowin' in the Wind

Wind symbolizes change, and Dylan juxtaposes the wind with the horrendous norms of the world. That is, he places the wind side by side with the cruel conventions to highlight the differences. The world is cruel; it is full of inequality, indifference, and death. The wind, though, is free. It blows without restrictions and can, hypothetically, knock down the bulwarks of brutality. The wind is “[t]he answer” (Lines 7-8, 15-16, 23-24). To change the world, people should consult the wind. They should align themselves with the wind, blow away the longstanding abominations and clear a path for progress.

As the wind is quite abstract, the change that the wind symbolizes is not specific. Based on the historical context, the wind symbolizes the changes brought by the civil rights movement. They had momentum—they harnessed the wind and challenged racist norms like segregation and disenfranchisement. The modern reader might give the wind a different symbolism: perhaps the fight against anti-gay bias, anti-trans laws, prejudice toward Muslims, or sexism. By making the wind the answer, Dylan makes a symbol that can fit any number of issues.