Explore the poem showing how the writing conveys the poets sense of loss and anguish.

In the poem `The Voice by Thomas Hardy the writing clearly conveys the poets sense of loss and anguish, firstly, by creating an atmosphere of doubt and ambiguity which reflects his delusional state of mind. He also draws a parallelism between his feelings and nature which shows his pain and loneliness. Moreover, he creates a sharp contrast between his present and his past evoking idealized images of his lost relationship and showing how he misses his dear beloved. To start with, the ambiguous atmosphere of the poem already conveys the poets grief and confusion. This is clearly seen in the first line `Woman much missed. How call to me, call to me`. In this sentence the reader can notice the mans uncertainty since he cannot understand why he hears the voice of his lost love. However, we can also identify the mans grief in the repetition of the call. On the one hand it seems as if he could not help hearing the voice, that is to say, he seems overwhelmed by her memory. On the other hand, he seems to beg her to call him again. Thus, the poet shows his pain drawing the readers attention to his obsession emphasised by the repetition of the phrase `call to me`. Moreover, the atmosphere of doubt and ambiguity is highlighted in the third stanza that is question. Or is it only the breeze that I here? Even though the poet seems to be talking to his lost lover, this question doesnt expect an answer, deep inside he knows she will not reply but he seems unable to accept the fact that she is gone for good. This denial is present through out the whole poem, since the reader does not know whether she is dead or alive but for a few clues such as` being ever dissolved` He knows she will not answer but he refuses to accept her death. This clearly conveys his pain and confusion only natural when you have lost someone you love. Secondly, the writing conveys the poets sense of loss and anguish through the parallelism between his feelings and the landscape. The first image which reveals this connection is leaves around me falling. This image clearly depicts autumn and it is associated with the mans depressive state of mind since it is the season previous to winter and we all relate it to sadness. Furthermore, we can consider the tree as a metaphor for the mans situation due to the fact that they have both lost a dear part of their lives. Apart from the metaphor of the tree, the parallelism is also evident in the phrase `wind oozing thin through the thorn from norward. The man finds himself in an inhospitable, unwelcoming terrain at the mercy of the elements. In this line the wind represents the poets loneliness and grief since the wind from the north is cold and can be opposed to the warm feelings of love and companionship. Moreover, the thorn represents his wound which is still open. Also, the fact that the wind seems to trespass the thorn conveys the idea of unbearable pain. He is so lost in his mourning that he does not know how to move on with his life, that is why he is faltering forward. He seems to be wondering around an isolated place without being able to make sense of life anymore. The gloomy atmosphere associated to his feeling of loss and anguish is also highlighted by the alliteration of the sounds f and th. Not only we see him confused and disoriented, we can also hear the sounds of a landscape that seems as empty as his soul. Last but not least, his mind is full of memories from a happy past that seems to haunt him as the voice of the dead woman: when our day was fair. Although he seems to treasure those moments together, the reader can feel the nostalgia of the man evoking a past inevitably lost. He will no longer see her waiting for him with the original blue gown`. Thus, the contrast between his past and his present situation also contributes to convey the mans feeling of loss and anguish because he holds with all his strength to a past that will not come back. All in all, I strongly believe the poet transmits the man`s suffering through the bleak atmosphere of the landscape which clearly represents his depression. The merciless scenario is really a metaphor for his state of mind. Also, the ambiguity of the poem and the fact that he seems to hear the womans voice contribute to show the mans denial. Last but not least, I think the writer achieves to depict human tendency to idealize past memories and our need to hold to what we have lost no matter how painstaking it may be.