Mother to Son

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1987

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Crystal Stair

The crystal stair—rather, its absence, “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” (Line 2)—is the primary symbol of the poem, and all subsequent metaphors are extensions of it. Such a sparkly, fancy staircase would be clean and smooth, in direct opposition to the stair the speaker climbs with “[…] tacks in it, / And splinters, / And boards torn up” (Lines 3-5). The crystal stair also describes something bright and clear as glass. For the speaker, her stair has been opaque and dark, “And sometimes goin’ in the dark / Where there ain’t been no light” (Lines12-13). Ultimately, taking the poem’s historical and political context into consideration, the crystal stair symbolizes all those privileges denied to the poem’s contemporary Black Americans. However, a crystal stair, while an impressive spectacle and symbol of wealth, might also suggest something illusory. While crystal is stronger than glass, it can still be shattered if hit hard enough. The idea that privileged people walk on a crystal stair could indicate a kind of fragility in their position.

Climbing

Part of what gives power to the central metaphor of the staircase is that the image is inherently linked to human action—and that action is climbing (or, upon mishap, falling). Climbing symbolizes progress and perseverance. To climb is very different than to walk or run; it takes the whole body and typically involves hoisting oneself up repeatedly. To climb is to uniquely encounter one’s own weight, and the action in this poem symbolically connotes burden. As the speaker prescribes it, the activity symbolizes not only the difficulty of the journey, but the strength needed to continue. The speaker twice states that she has been climbing all her life: “But all the time / I’se been a-climbin’ on” (Lines 8-9), and later, “For I’se still goin’, honey, / I’se still climbin’” (Lines 18-19). Climbing also implies moving up, which is a metaphor for making life better or improving one’s circumstances (moving up might typically also symbolize attaining a “higher” social status, but the poem’s context precludes this interpretation). The speaker is concerned with maintaining momentum on this climb because she understands how difficult it can be to stop and realize how exhausting and strenuous climbing is. As long as she keeps moving up, she’ll be okay.

Landings & Corners

Although the speaker never explicitly describes the reward or destination, she does describe two moments of respite and peace on this grueling upward journey. She says, “I’se been a-climbin’ on, / And reachin’ landin’s, / And turnin’ corners” (Lines 9-11). These are signs of her progress upward, and although they were short-lived because her philosophy is concerned with moving on quickly, they were moments of victory, nonetheless. The landing on a staircase is a place where the stairway turns. It can also indicate an exit to a new story. The speaker reaching a landing means she’s moved up a level or come to a better place. When the speaker turns a corner, she may have let go of something that was holding her back or overcome a significant obstacle. Even though these moments do not represent the end of her journey or her struggles, they are important milestones to be acknowledged along the way.