Death Of Grandfather Clock By Lin Lane Summary

In The Death of Grandfather Clock, Lin Lane depicts the nagging effect that time tends to have by utilizing symbolism. In the first stanza, the poem expressly states, “I am quite annoyed by the ticking... By the ever-present clicking”. The poet explicates how the constant ticking stresses the limited time one has to fulfil one’s responsibilities and aspirations. In the second stanza, Lane expands on her point by wondering, “Must Grandfather Time command my life?” The poem uses the “Grandfather Time” as a symbol to ponder the omnipotent passage of time. Do actions have to be confined by time? If one wants to travel the world, must they do so before time grabs hold of them, causing their bones to crumble and their memories to fade? The poet explores
the ideal, “If time could but stand still for me,/The silence would be so sweet.” Lane displays how easy life would be if people had all of time to accomplish their goals and complete their duties. In the fourth stanza, the poet describes her failed attempts at inner peace because she “cannot find tranquil paradise/for his gong peals out once more.” The “gong” refers to the ring of the grandfather clock, announcing the arrival of morning, and the farewell to her “paradise”. Yet, as the poet says in the final stanza, even if she managed to “shackle the swing of his pendulum/each hour would then go by unsung.” Sometimes, people need time to give them a little push in life. Without it, we may never mature and evolve into the people we are today.