Grief
Grief is a huge part of this novel, or collection of poems more accurately. Every single one of these poems focus on the tragic aspects of people's lives as affected by coal-mining and the bosses who run these coal mining operations in West Virginia. Almost every single poem is evidence to this theme but there are few that stick out. One is the Explosion at Winco No. 9. In it, the wife of a deceased coal worker named Maude Stanley describes the pain that is within her and also within the countless other wives who have suffered numerous tragedies similar to this one. One line that especially emphasizes this theme of grief is "It is true that it is the men that goes in, but it is us that carries the mine inside." This line itself shows the extent of the grief felt by the people who suffered at the hands of the coal mines.
Darkness
The theme of darkness manifests itself both physically and metaphorically. In terms of physically, this theme of darkness is apparent due to the coal itself. Coal is a raw, black substance that leaves its darkened residue on everything it touches. While describing one of the coal workers stuck in the mine, the poem eloquently states "his face blacked and shiny, like it had soaked up the dark and give it back alive." This is a powerful line that emphasizes the darkness not only of the coal that the workers have to deal with, but the pitch-black darkness that encapsulates the caves and the mine shafts. The metaphorical theme of darkness can be seen throughout almost all the poems. Each piece of writing focuses on the dark, tragic occurrences that take place due to the coal mines and the amount that people suffer. The whole concept is dark in itself.
Greed
The entire mining operation that was taking place in West Virginia in 1920-1921 was exemplified by the greed of the operators behind these mines. They knew that coal was a booming business and that it was needed because of its ability to produce energy. This greed and its manifestations directly led to the death of many coal workers. This theme is especially present in a poem about Papa, an Italian immigrant who has to give up on his dream of stonecutting and is forced to work in a coal mine where he eventually dies. One line that really addresses this theme is "The rich men here, they see nothing in the stone but money." Workers continuously flooded into the coal mines to produce something for the men in charge, dying by the hundreds without so much as a grimace from the greedy owners up top. They paid these workers lowly wages and failed to pay for safe conditions, all to increase their own wealth and profit.
Death
The main focus of these chronologically ordered poems was to shed light on the insane amount of death that was taking place at these coal mines. Although coal mines across the country were known for their danger, and still are, the coal mines in West Virginia were notorious for explosions, cave-ins, and mechanical failures. Almost every single poem focuses on at least one death, which would undoubtedly greatly affect a family. The theme of death is present from the very first page in the poem Explosion at Winco No. 9. Tom Junior is one man killed in the explosion, completely burned and only recognized by his wife because of his toes. Willy is another man whose life is taken away by the coal mines. His wife is only able to recognize his charred body because of his notched ear. And a third death is showcased by the death of Ted, who is the husband of the narrator in this poem Maude Stanley. These three significant deaths were only a few of the many bodies that came up from the mine explosion. As we can see, death is prevalent throughout the poems.
