Poetry · Chapter
His Memory explained
The narrator contrasts his young son's ability to quickly forget pain and remember promises with his own tendency to dwell on unpleasant obligations like bills and unfinished work, expressing envy for the child's selective memory.
What happens
The narrator contrasts his young son's ability to quickly forget pain and remember promises with his own tendency to dwell on unpleasant obligations like bills and unfinished work, expressing envy for the child's selective memory.
Themes in this chapter
Childhood and Family
The poem centers on the father-son relationship and the child's innocent perspective.
Innocence and Growth
The child's ability to forget pain and focus on joy contrasts with adult burdens, highlighting the loss of innocence.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The father who envies his son's memory and struggles with adult worries.
- Son Lou
The little son whose imagination and accommodating memory are admired.
Key passages
“An instant after some unlucky stumble Has floored him and induced a howl of pain, He’s clean forgotten all about his tumble And violently sets out to romp again.”
Right after a fall makes him cry, he quickly forgets the accident and starts playing energetically again.
Illustrates the child's quick recovery and selective memory.
“Ah, would I might lose sight of things unpleasant: The bills I owe; the work I haven’t done. And only think of future joys and present, Like the approaching payday, and my son.”
I wish I could forget my worries—debts and unfinished tasks—and focus only on happy things like my upcoming paycheck and my child.
Expresses the narrator's desire for the child's carefree mindset.