# Love in a Snowdrift explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James McIntyre.

## What happens

A traveler stranded in a snowbound train in Maine gives a lecture to pass the time, inadvertently helping a young man court a woman. The narrator's initial vanity is soothed when the couple asks him to officiate their wedding, turning the snowdrift from a nuisance into a gain.

## Themes in this chapter

### Community and Social Gatherings

The impromptu lecture in the public hall brings together stranded passengers, fostering social interaction and romance.

## Character check-ins

### James McIntyre

Narrator and lecturer who speaks to the stranded passengers.

### Jane

The young woman courted by the young man during the lecture.

## Key lines

> One winter day in snow-bound train, In drift we stuck in State of Maine;

One winter day, our train got stuck in a snowdrift in Maine.

_Sets the scene of a winter travel mishap._

> He said it gave him chance to gain The heart of finest girl in Maine;

He said the lecture gave him the opportunity to win the heart of the most beautiful girl in Maine.

_Reveals the young man's romantic success due to the delay._

> I felt the snow drift was a gain.

I realized the snowdrift was actually a benefit.

_The narrator's final reflection on the positive outcome of the ordeal._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters/love-in-a-snowdrift
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_12_se/chapters