16 pages • 32 minutes read
Life
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Symbols & Motifs
The Watch
According to information listed on the Mathematical Association of America’s website, the first instances of measuring time date back to approximately 1500 BC with the implementation of sundials by the Egyptians (Devlin, Keith. “About Time.” Devlin’s Angle, 1999). However, the first mechanical clocks resembling the devices we know and use today “were invented in Europe around the start of the 14th century and were the standard timekeeping device until the pendulum clock was invented in 1656” (Bellis, Mary. “The Development of Clocks and Watches Over Time.” ThoughtCo. 2019). As references to timekeeping and clocks have worked their way into literary texts, these objects have acquired specific symbolic meanings. For example, clocks can symbolize “time pressure” and “serve as a reminder that time should be used wisely as it is a limited resource” (Rhys, Dani. “Clock Symbolism—What Does it Mean?” Symbolsage, 2022). Clocks also symbolize mortality and the passage of time, as well as the anxiety that comes with feeling overburdened and strained for time. In “Life,” the swinging pocket watch reflects the measurement of an individual’s lifespan. Each “tick” of the clock is a moment of life passing by. As “the watch run[s] down” (Line 6), life winds to a close and eventually ends.
The Infant
Infants and children are literary symbols that have come to represent the past as well as future possibility. They are the culmination of their predecessors and simultaneously an opportunity for growth and development. Children “represent[s] innocence, purity, wonder, receptivity, freshness, noncalculation, the absence of narrow ambition and purpose” (“Child.” Encyclopedia.com, 29 May 2018). An infant represents the beginning of life or of an era, contrasting with the image of an old person, who represents the end of an era or of life. If the “very old man” (Line 4) in Madgett’s poem represents God the Father, then the “fascinated infant” (Line 3) could represent yet another member of the Holy Trinity, the baby Jesus born to save humans from their sins, according to traditional Christian tradition. Both God the Father and the infant have authority over human life, using it for their own entertainment and enjoyment and controlling it according to their whims. As the old man swings the pocket watch that is life, the baby is the start of this new life, while the old man represents its conclusion.
Gold
The pocket watch referenced in Madgett’s poem, which represents life, hangs from “a bright gold chain” (Line 1). The color gold has a variety of symbolic meanings. In a religious context, the color gold is “synonymous with divinity and power” (“All you need to know about Gold.” Designs.ai). With the figure of the old man and the infant alluding to God the Father and Christ the Son, this color symbolism makes sense within Madgett’s text. The gold pocket watch is an extension of God’s divine will and power. Gold also represents wealth and success. Just as life and its enjoyments can be fleeting and limited, wealth and success share these same traits. Also, gold can be a rare commodity, a luxury for some or an extraneous expense. In the poem, God does not necessarily “need” human life but rather possesses it and cares for it as an extraneous hobby as it suits His fancy.
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