Nature

“Nature” uses as its thematic argument the reality of death. Gifted, or cursed, with the knowledge of mortality, humanity has long struggled with the inevitability of death and the search for life’s meaning. Longfellow published this poem during the last few years of his life; instead of focusing the poem on the morbid realities of death, he created a comforting allegory: Death is at once no more terrifying or unsettling than an earned, hard-day’s rest.

Within Longfellow’s approach to the inevitability of death, there is a balance between panic and surrender. The image of a child reluctant to go to bed, still distracted by all the toys of his long and busy day, offers that balance. As death grows closer, Nature lovingly and gently begins the hard work of separating us from our “toys,” the items that reward us during our lifetime, as we follow her to an earned night’s sleep. It can be argued that “Nature” is the reflection of a man who has lived a long and ample life for which death might come as a relief. From the perspective of a life well-lived, Longfellow offers the counsel that is at once clear and convincing as everybody understands the rewards of a good night’s sleep.