A father, who is aching from the previous week's work, wakes up early on his day of rest to ensure the house was well heated before the rest of his family awakes without appreciation. Only when the house is warmed does the father summon the child, who slowly prepares for the day because of the presence of daily ire within the home. The child speaks to the father in an apathetic tone even though the patriarch warmed the house and shined the child's shoes. The last lines demonstrate that the child was not aware of the many forms that love is conveyed. .
Theme.
The theme of this selection is about love and how in youth we may overlook the many shapes and forms it may manifest. From the child's perspective, the father was a cold individual, who did not showcase his emotions overtly. The family was more than likely from meager origins, and the father mostly was focused on providing the next meal though manual labor, which may have been why he did not place an emphasis on physical or emotional affection. Because of the child's ignorance, the significance of the father's actions was overlooked and was only realized until the child was much older and experienced. Had the father not loved this child, he would not have cared if the house was warm or if his or her shoes were presentable.
Images and Symbols.
The two main symbols in this poem are the warm and cold as well as the offices. The speaker expresses the theme of the poem through the use of symbols such as "blueback cold" and "cracked hands that ached" (Hayden, 2013, p. 156). Additionally, the speaker uses this to express to us that his relationship with his father was just like the description of the Sunday morning, cold on the outside but warm in the inside. The speaker did not have a good relationship with his father, but he enjoyed the warmth of the house even though he was indifferent to his father. It wasn't until he grew up that he understood the position of his father, which is depicted in the next symbol.