To an Athlete Dying Young

The athlete becomes a symbol of fame because the people in his town adore him and put him on a figurative pedestal. The speaker says, “[w]e chaired you through the market-place” (Line 2). They lifted him and carried him to celebrate his accomplishments. As a symbol of fame, it’s less important that the athlete is an athlete and more consequential that the athlete amassed considerable acclaim. The athlete isn’t a literary star, a movie star, or a person with millions of followers on social media. Nonetheless, in the context that Housman creates, the athlete represents a celebrity. Through the figure of the athlete, Housman confronts the sad irony of the star’s early death and its positive impact on how people will remember him.

The mystery around the athlete also makes him a Romantic symbol. The athlete reinforces the Romantic notion that human life is as volatile and unknowable as nature. To support the Romantic symbolism, Housman connects the athlete to specific things in nature, like laurels and roses. Conversely, the athlete represents the antithesis of the Romantic individual. The athlete controls his fate by dying young and freezing his identity.