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Wilfrid Wilson Gibson’s “The Stone” explores themes of love, loss, and grief. This narrative poem tells of the death of a tall, brave, young man at the quarry and how his lady lover received the news of his death. This is an exploration and analysis of the themes in “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson.

Overview of “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

Content Analysis of “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

Literary Devices in “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson

Analysis of Themes in “The Stone”

1. Death and Loss

The events described in the poem were triggered by the death of a tall, brave man and culminated in the death of his lady lover. The death of the man had deeply affected her both physically and emotionally. “The Stone” tells how the man died, how the news of his death reached his family, how the family mourned the loss, and ultimately, how his death affected his lover and her preparation for his burial.

The lady, after she got the news, did not move, eat, or sleep for three days (Stanza 5). When she eventually could move and speak, she sought out the stone mason and requested him to carve a gravestone as a memorial for her lover. This shows how loved ones wish to honour their loved ones in death and create a monument for remembrance, often set as a tombstone.

Furthermore, on the subject of loss, the lady whose lover had died not only lost her lover to death, but she also lost her interest in living. Her only mission before passing was to give her lover a befitting burial. So much so that as soon as the tombstone was ready, she heaved a sigh of relief, left the stone mason’s house, never to return. At her death, the stone mason sat quietly and began carving her name on the stone (Stanzas 10 and 11).

The subject of death is also captured as something that can happen unexpectedly. The young man was struck dead in a quarry, not what he planned when he went to work that day. Death also affects those related to the one it takes. This is illustrated in the sorrow of his loved ones.

2. Grief

The poem vividly portrays how the loss of a dear one can bring grief. It also deeply displays how this can be intense and may lead to emotional and physical paralysis. As grief is associated with pain, sorrow, tears, sadness, etc., the extent to which the individuals affected experience the different emotions differs greatly. Also, the relationship between the one who died and each of those who grieve has a direct impact on how they are affected. This is portrayed in how the mother of the man and his lover received the news of his death.

Secondly, the poem, The Stone” shows that people grieve in different ways. While the mother of the man who died wailed, the lady could not (Stanza 5, Lines 36-37). The news has struck her heart dead that she had become an emotional stone wall (Stanza 4, Line 31). This effect may be due to shock, disbelief, denial, or simply trauma. She seemed calm yet in great turmoil. She was present, yet absent. She was alive, but merely a ghost of herself.

“Night after night, so still and white,

And like a ghost she came;

And sat beside me, in her chair,

And watched with eyes aflame”

(Stanza 7, Lines 71-74)

Also, the weight of the loss and grief of the lady may have been tied to responsibility. The weight it set on her, besides her loss of her lover, meant she needed to hold it together to ensure the family is sane and that he gets a befitting burial. Once she had absorbed the initial shock and was able to move, she sought out the stone mason to request a grave stone for her lover.

3. Bearing Witness to Grief

The narrator describes his place in the story as a witness to the death of the young man and as the one who cut the gravestone.

Firstly, he notes that he dreaded the news he was about to deliver to the family, the news of the death of their son and lover. He was deeply concerned about the weight of the issue and the implications that he could hear his own heartbeat (Stanza 3, Lines 18-20).

Afterwards, the weight on his shoulder became managing the outcome as someone went before him and, without care, spat out the news to the family. Now he had a grieving family to console and a lady in shock to look after. He must have kept tabs on the family such that he notes that for three days and three nights, the lady did not move, speak, eat, or sleep (Stanza 5).

Then came when the lady lover could finally take a step; she sought him out to cut a stone for her dead lover. Now he had to bear the pain of being with her, sitting in silence and grief every evening as he worked on the gravestone. He described her eyes “grey eyes that followed me, plucked the heart from me, sucked the breath from me, curdled the warm blood in me, cut me to the bone, and cut my marrow like cold steel.” (Stanza 6, Lines 59-64).

Just as is common with those who are hurting, they hurt others without meaning to and without knowing it. The stone mason had to endure the pain that filtered through the lady’s grief and sought a stone and began working on it.

In the end, he was the only one who witnessed the lady’s devotion to her lover after he had passed. He was also the only one who could describe how lost she was and the extent to which she had lost touch with life. Even the process of cutting the grave stone, he says, “and every stroke my chisel cut, death cut still deeper in her heart:” (Stanza 9, Lines 86-87).

In the end, the stone mason was also the one who witnessed the relief the lady felt when the tombstone was done and the manner in which she left his house. He knew something was innately wrong and that something would happen. And when it eventually did happen, he sat alone in his house the next night, and labored to cut the lady’s name upon the stone. This was his own way of according her the same honour she had given her lover, or maybe his way of wishing them love in death and the afterlife. Or maybe it was simply his way of recognizing the deep love the lovers had shared in life.

4. Love

The passionate love between the central character and her man is clearly illustrated throughout the poem. The major pointer to their deep connection is seen in how the lady’s life lost meaning after she received news of his passing. She could not weep, yet could not move nor sleep (Stanza 5). In the narrator’s voice, a poor fool “had blurted out the news to her, had struck her lover dead for her, had struck the girl’s heart dead in her, had struck life, lifeless, at a word” (Stanza 3, Lines 21-26).

Wilfrid Wilson Gibson’s “The Stone” shows the deep connection between people in love; although the cord is not physical, it is strong. And if cut abruptly, like in death, it may cause a pain so profound that the life of the one still living will be permanently altered.

It is also evident that life became meaningless to the lady after the passing of her lover. She kept going just to fulfill the last rites to honour him. Once she saw it through and the tombstone was ready, she “breathed his name, and, with a sigh …” (Stanza 10, Line 93).

5. Careless Communication and Its Consequences

One important theme in “The Stone” is the theme of careless communication and its consequences.

In the poem, someone who lacks discretion and understanding of life and human nature, or simply lacks the ability to communicate in a healthy way, so much so that he was described as “some fool” (Stanza 3, Line 21), bore the news of the death of the man at the quarry to his family. The consequence is the grief that makes up the poem and further death, the passing of the lady lover.

Although the man who made the careless announcement of the death was not affected by it, the damage he caused is undeniable.

6. Silence is Loud

The contrast between the silence of the grieving woman and the loudness of her grief is prominent throughout the poem. The pain was not expressed in tears; she did not cry. Her sorrow was not expressed in words as she did not speak. Despite her pain and grief were clear and heard by everyone around her. It was clear to all that the death of her lover had not just hurt her but ripped something that held her together beyond repair, so that she could not scream or cry. All she could do was stare blankly without moving.

Even after she approached the stone mason to cut a stone for her lover, she only sat in silence, watching him as he worked. Yet, the stone mason describes the effect of her stare as piercing to his bones and tearing him apart. He also stated that the stroke he made with his chisel was more like him and death cutting deeper into the lady’s heart (Stanza 9).

Therefore, it is not always that words express the intent of the heart fully. Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.

Conclusion

The themes explored in “The Stone” by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson capture death and the effect it has on those who love the diseased, the consequences of careless speech, grief, and the depth, connection, and effects of love. The poem displays the different sides of grief and reminds us that death may alter someone’s life completely.