A Wagon Stopped
The poem depicts a moment of tension and anticipation as a woman reacts to the arrival of a grocer. The imagery conveys her emotional state, characterized by fear and excitement, as she quickly hides in the cellar, hoping to avoid detection. The setting is rich with sensory details, emphasizing the chill and dampness of the cellar, which evokes memories and a sense of nostalgia. The woman's actions suggest a desire for secrecy and perhaps a longing for a past that is both familiar and haunting. The poem captures the interplay between the mundane act of a delivery and the deeper emotional currents that run beneath the surface, highlighting themes of vulnerability, memory, and the complexities of human experience. The final lines focus on her stillness and the emptiness of the doughnut jar, symbolizing unfulfilled desires or lost opportunities, leaving the reader with a sense of unresolved tension.
By Edna St. Vincent Millay · First published 1921 · Genre: Poetry, Lyric, Romanticism · 132 words
First lines
A wagon stopped before the house; she heard
The heavy oilskins of the grocer's man
Slapping against his legs. of a sudden whirred
Her heart like a frightened partridge, and she ran
What this Textopian page supports
A Wagon Stopped is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edna St. Vincent Millay, dated 1921 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay
- Date: 1921 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric, Romanticism, Modernism, Narrative
- Length: 132 words
- Structure: 1 section, 13 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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Similar titles
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- Humoresque by Edna St Vincent Millay
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- To Time by Maxwell Bodenheim
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is written in verse, employing poetic devices and structure.
- Lyric — The poem expresses personal emotions and thoughts, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Romanticism — Themes of nature, emotion, and individual experience align with Romantic ideals.
- Modernism — The poem reflects modernist themes of alienation and introspection.
Tags
Poetry · Free Verse · Nature · Solitude · Isolation · Mortality · Existentialism · Philosophy · Self-Discovery · Emotional Turmoil · Inner Conflict · Psychological Insight
More by Edna St. Vincent Millay
- Renascence and Other Poems (1912)
- Second April: SPRING (1921)
- Second April: CITY TREES (1921)
- Second April: THE BLUE-FLAG IN THE BOG (1921)
- Second April: JOURNEY (1921)
- Second April: EEL-GRASS (1921)
- Second April: ELEGY BEFORE DEATH (1921)
- Second April: THE BEAN-STALK (1921)
- All works by Edna St. Vincent Millay