The Century Quilt Poem Summary

“The Century Quilt,” is a poem that illustrates the narrator finding a quilt that she hopes will hold the same significant power as her Meema’s Indian blanket. In this poem, the narrator uses the theme, symbolism, and personification to illustrate the coming of age and dreams.
First, the theme of the poem is the narrator’s coming of age and dreams. Based in lines nine through twelve it states,” […] I’d planned to inherit that blanket, how we used to wrap ourselves at play in its folds and be chieftains and princesses.” This statement examples the coming of age in the theme because the narrator is discussing that she will soon be at the age where she will be passed the blanket and then reminisces on her and her sister’s adolescents playing with the blanket. Also, in lines thirty-six through forty-three it states,” Perhaps under this quilt I’d dream of myself, of my childhood miracles […] Within the dream of myself perhaps I’d meet my son oy my other child, as yet unconceived.” These lines show the theme of dreams because when she is under this quilt, she wants to be able to dream of her childhood memories and dream of her future and want it holds just as her Meema dreamed under her blanket.

The symbolism in the poem is Meema’s blanket and the narrator’s new quilt because they symbolized protection from reality.

For instance, in lines twenty-one through twenty-five it states,” I think I’d have good dreams for a hundred years under this quilt, as Meema must have, under her blanket, dreamed she was a girl again in Kentucky […].” The blanket symbolized protection from reality because as Meema lay under it, it caused these dreams of her childhood and innocence to recur and gave her a chance to hide away from reality. The narrator also wants the chance to escape reality and dream about her childhood memories and future just as Meema

did.
Lastly, the other literary device is personification which also supports the theme of coming of age. As people become older, they become more aware of reality and the quilt was protecting her from that reality of growing older. For example, in lines eighteen through twenty it states,” Each square holds a sweet gum leaf whose fingers I imagine would caress me into the silence.” These lines illustrate that the narrator gave the “sweet gum leaf,” which are leaves with an average of five peddles slightly attached to each other like a hand, the characteristic of having fingers like humans.
In conclusion, the coming of age and dreams, symbolism of protection, and personification is illustrated clearly understood in this poem.