Childhood

Symbol Analysis

We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: spring is the time for little children. You could think of this as a literal remark (after all, in winter most kids don’t go out to play very much). Springtime is also a metaphor for childhood, though. Both are the beginning of a period of growth and development that will eventually turn into age, death and decay. Pleasant thoughts, huh?

  • Lines 6-8: The jamming-together of "eddieandbill" becomes a way to depict them in the childish language that they themselves might use.
  • Lines 14-15: The running and dancing of kids leaving their games actually becomes some pretty great imagery in these lines. We can all imagine what hop-scotch and jump-rope games look like…in fact, we’ve probably been in a few ourselves.