In The Park By Gwen Hardwood Essay

“In the Park” by Gwen Hardwood is a poem about being a mother and what sacrifices and burdens come with entering motherhood. Hardwood is explaining to the reader that when a woman’s life is centered on just raising her children, the woman may feel a loss of self worth and regret for not living her life differently. The speaker in the poem is a woman who feels the burden of raising three children and is being broken down because of it. The man she met in the park represents her life before the birth of her children. After talking with the man she realizes what she has become and it makes her somewhat distraught.

The whole poem is about an event of a mother who takes her children to a park. While at the park, she runs into a man that she used to have feelings for and they begin to discuss how their lives have changed and the speaker’s children. The conversation between the two is short and is suggested by the statement, “But for the grace of god…” that the man thanks god that he is not involved with the hustle and bustle of being involved in the woman’s life. As the conversation ends and the man exits the park the woman states, “They have eaten me alive”. This statement gives the reader a greater understanding of what the woman goes through and what she has given up when she

chose to have and raise children. Harwood makes it very clear that the woman’s life has changed because of her children. The statement, "Her clothes are out of date" suggests that the woman gives up everything just so she can tend to her children. The woman’s life is completely consumed by her children.
Harwood's negative connotation of family and motherhood go against what most people think about the subject of being a mother and what it takes to raise a family. At the end of the poem, the woman's statement that her children have eaten her alive, suggests that the woman’s life is being overtaken by her children. This representation of a resentful mother is also made stronger by the fact that she is aware of the mans relief at not being trapped in the same kind of selfless family environment. When the woman states, “From his neat head unquestionably rises a small balloon” she is letting the reader know that there is no way that she can misinterpret what the man is thinking. The man is extremely grateful that he is not involved in the woman’s life. While knowing the woman's bitterness and the man's relief of not being involved in the woman’s life, it is easy to understand that Hardwood does not value the traditional views of women as being the caretakers of the children and stay at home mothers. The speaker is no longer the same woman she was before; she selflessly devotes all her time and energy and effort to her children.
Hardwood uses symbolism to convey a greater sense of understanding the situation to the reader.

An example of symbolism is seen in the first line of the poem. "Her clothes are out of date" allows the reader to understand that she is not only wearing old clothes but that the woman is losing her sense of self worth. When Hardwood introduces the man as having a “neat head” this symbolically represents that he has a nice clean haircut, and also gives the reader an image of the woman as being rough around the edges. Symbolism is also seen in the children’s behavior. As the children “whine”, and “tug on her skirt” they are seen to be needing constant attention and that they always act like

this.
In conclusion, "In the Park" by Gwen Harwood portrays a mother being consumed by her children and does not like whom she has become. Her children take up so much of her time that she doesn’t even have any time to focus on herself and who she wants to become. She lost focus on who she was and she doesn’t like where motherhood is taking her. Harwood uses literary elements to suggest that the woman’s appearance has been affected by motherhood. The woman can only think about who she was before she had children and how her life might be different if her entire life wasn’t consumed by her children.