Spoon River Anthology Theme

Life Ain’t Always Easy: An Analysis of the Themes in Spoon River Anthology

Spoon River Anthology gives us a clear and detailed reminder that life isn’t always easy. There aren’t many people in here that didn’t have it rough in some way. However, while struggling to maintain focus in the process of reading such a depressing book, I tried to find the “bright spots” in it. To me, these were the people that did have it rough or were forced into a difficult situation but in the midst of it they managed to find the good in life or help those around them. Three epitaphs from this section of the book seemed to match this description almost perfectly; they took the hand they were dealt and played it to the best of their ability.

The first poem to represent this theme is that of Francis Turner. He didn’t even have much of a chance to improve his situation in life. Scarlet-fever had left his heart diseased. As a child he could not play around with the other boy. As a man he could, “only sip the cup, not
George Reece is the final and most prime example of the theme, life is not always easy. Unlike the previous woman, she was not given a choice on whether to split with her husband and how to raise her children. Her husband was falsely accused of taking part in the fall of the bank and was sent to prison. Mrs. Reece was left to raise their children alone, and instead of neglecting these duties, she took them head on. “And I did it, and sent them forth, into the world all clean and strong.” I believe she gives the best description of what to do when life gets tough herself, “Act well your part, there all the honor lies.” She was handed the part of a single mother raising several children in a time that was even more difficult for single mothers. For her children, she went above and beyond in their raising and when it was time for the to be on their own they were left with strong morals and a good start in life. All due to the strong mindset of their loving