One Night (Elegy Analysis)

 

ONE NIGHT

by Ann Gray

    The elegy “One Night” by Ann Gray is a touching poem that shows how true love creates a bond that endures even beyond death. The narrator is speaking to her husband and in doing so leads the reader to realize that he is actually dead. She talks about how the man in her life, which the reader can assume is her husband, returns to the bedroom but is confused with what he sees. He sees a family photograph, one that was taken in the future after his death. He doesn’t recognize their daughter Beth who was a child when he died and is now grown up. She also tells him their son Nick has gotten married. The narrator also tells him he won’t recognize some of the people in the photo. This hints that the family has grown with at least one daughter-in-law and perhaps some grandchildren. The fact that her husband is visiting her and has a strong desire to know what has happened to the family in his absence indicates his undying love for his family members. 

    On the other hand, his wife exhibits that same undying love for her husband. She recounts his routines, him walking around in his socks, brushing his teeth, using the bathroom, and drinking some whiskey. She remembers how he would lift her hair and touch her neck. She mentions how she has kept some of his clothes such as his boots and jacket. This demonstrates that she cannot let him go. Her love for him is so strong that she has never been able to get over the death of her husband. At the end, when she says he will ask what happened and she will reply “how much time do you have”, we see that she longs to be able to talk to him and recount to him all that has happened in the life of the family. In reading this elegy, the reader feels the longing, pain, and complete love and dedication that this couple has for one another.