Review of "The Farewell" by Edward Field

Edward Field’s poem, “The Farewell” is about trust and how fickle it can be. This means that you could give 100% of your trust to someone and they can just shatter it. However, Field also explains that to gain trust you have to be willing to give trust in return.

The author uses symbolism in the poem to express that trust can be broken easily.He uses ice for a symbol of the fragility. For example, in the line, “stepping out on it and naturally it gaps open” symbolizes that trust can be easily fractured. By “stepping” onto thin ice and using the term “naturally” is symbolizing that trust is like ice. Imagery in the poem, “The Farewell” expresses how Field believes trust is fickle. In the line, “slide directly into the water.

..” the image of that person sliding into the water shows the acceptance of the broken trust. The phrase “sliding directly” tells that the person was prepared for it. This explains that Field believes in certian occasions that when you give trust, you need to be prepared to not always get it back.

In summary, one’s reliance on someone else can be shattered. “The Farewell” is a perfect example of this. Sometimes something comes without warning and makes everything else fall apart.