Child-Like Wonder
Hecht’s poem “Lot’s Wife” is all about the child-like wonder that all children are inherently born with. The narrator comments on the numerous mundane items that fascinated him when he was a child. For example, he describes in great detail the simple beauty of a spider weaving a web and a fly cleaning his small hands. Though many adults would look at these creatures with disdain, disregard, or even contempt, this child—the narrator’s younger self—looked at them with wonder and fascination. This poem highlights the fact that children often find beauty in the simplest objects and creatures. This beauty is one that many adults would also share—if only they paused to take a concentrated and purposeful look. Children see beauty and find joy in places, objects, and thinks due to their young perspective. To a child—who is still learning all the wonders of the world—the sound of rain may be a marvel. In short, this poem suggests that adults should learn how to examine the world around us through the lens of a child and with child-like wonder. For it is through this child-like wonder that we are able to see true beauty in simplicity.
The Dark Side of Love
Unlike many poets of the time, Anthony Hecht did not always craft poems that painted love in a positive light. Rather, Hecht aimed to show that love—while often beautiful—has tremendous potential to be dangerous and soul-shattering. In “A Letter,” Hecht depicts an unnamed character, the narrator, who has lost his love. Through the narrator’s letter, we learn that his wife—with whom he had two children and whom he loved dearly—unexpectedly left without any explanation. Though his heart hopes that she will one day return, his mind knows that this is nothing but foolish hope. This letter highlights how the narrator is so heartbroken over his lost love that he struggles to even function. In this way, Hecht showcases how love can be dangerous; it can take control of our bodies, minds, and souls and then render us incapable of progress. Though love can be a wonderful experience, the narrator in this poem shows the darker side of love—he shows how it can consume our minds and souls and destroy our happiness.
Retrospection
In “Lot’s Wife,” the narrator—presumably author Hecht himself—reflects on the simple joys of his childhood experiences. As he does so, he begins to understand how the childlike wonder that all children seem to be inherently born with can make the simplest things in life seem immensely beautiful. The narrator then begins to describe the many things he found beautiful and pleasurable as a child. These things include a spider weaving a web, the sound of rain, and a simple fly. The narrator describes the objects and items using vernacular that only an adult with be familiar with—including phrases such as “iridescent labyrinth” and “gentle graphite veil.” These phrases remind the reader that he narrator is now an adult. And yet, with retrospection, he is now able to fully describe the beauty of these objects that he was so fascinated by when he was younger. This poem beautifully highlights how retrospection allows us to reflect on seemingly mundane parts of life through a new lens—one that allows us to consider these objects with a different perspective. Though this narrator may have usually looked upon a spider with boredom or even disdain, his retrospective contemplation allowed him to remember how fascinated he was by a simple spider when he was younger.
