# Closing Time explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Langston Hughes.

## What happens

A haunting vignette of a pale, drowned girl at the doorway, blending memories of the river and moon with the dissonance of a cabaret's closing hours, as death is called upon to be kind.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Mortality

The drowned girl and the plea for death's kindness underscore the chapter's focus on mortality.

### Love and Loss

Memories held by the river and moon evoke a sense of lost love or a lost life.

## Character check-ins

### Death

Implored to be kind to a little drowned girl.

### Unknown

The weary voice observing the scene and calling out.

## Key lines

> Death, be kind To a little drowned girl.

The speaker asks Death to show mercy to a young girl who has drowned.

_A direct plea for compassion in the face of tragedy._

> The river and the moon hold memories.

The natural elements of river and moon are repositories of past experiences and emotions.

_Evokes a sense of nostalgia and haunting recollection._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters/closing-time
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters