Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter

Driving can imply a physical journey or a controlling force within a person’s mind. The poem clearly denotes the first definition as the speaker drives the car to the town. This is a literal, concrete journey with a particular task: to mail a letter. However, when “driving” (Line 5) is again mentioned, the purpose has radically shifted, and the speaker aimlessly “[drives] around” (Line 5) rather driving to a destination. After they state that they “love” the “privacy of this snowy night” (Line 4), the “driving” (Line 5) stops being task related. The goal for the speaker becomes to “waste time” (Line 5) rather than to complete an errand. This suggests a shift from goal-oriented thought to meditative thought. The point of “driving around” (Line 5) is to extend the enjoyment of feeling and thought, to be contemplative, without a intended outcome.

In the speaker’s observations of the town, they note that the “only things moving are swirls of snow” (Line 2). To swirl is, by definition, to move in a twist or spiral. For the snow to swirl it must be moved by wind—a force that can only be felt not seen. This correlates to the journey of the speaker’s thoughts, which eddy like the “swirls” (Line 2).