Millie's Red Dress Poem

The poem “Millie’s Mother’s Red Dress” by Carol Lynn Pearson is about a dying mother’s last wish. The only character in this poem that has a name is Millie. Every other character only has roles, such as a mother. Millie is the narrator of the poem, but the poem is more about her mother. The mother has been selfless, and never selfish most of her life. She has always gave to her children and husband even when it wasn’t necessary. She never really did anything for herself, but by a red dress that just sat in her closet. The mother was showing selflessness, but never taught it to her children. She wanted Millie to be different because she was the only one that has a chance to be different. Millie is the youngest and hasn’t started a family of her own yet. Although the characters play a significant role in the poem the most significant literary device is the theme. The theme consist of selflessness and selfishness. Although the mother was selfless her sons never learned selflessness from her. The sons learned from the mother “that a women doesn’t even exist except to give.” The mother realized that “it was me that taught it to them. And they
Millie is the most significant character because she is destine for change. The title “Millie’s Mother’s Red Dress” is also significant because the poem is more so about Millie in the end. The mother has many other children but places significance on Millie. Millie’s mother saw that she was the only on that could possibly change, and have a balance of selfishness and selflessness. Millie is the youngest of her siblings, and has not started a family. Which makes her the best advocate for change. The mother doesn’t want Millie to follow in her path. She tells Millie “Do me the honor, Millie, Of not following in my footsteps Promise me that.” Before she took her turn in death Millie promised her mother. Millie promised her mother that she would be the protagonist of the