Work and Labor

Where it surfaces

• The Axe-Helve

  The chapter centers on the craft of making an axe-helve, the physical labor of chopping wood, and the pride Baptiste takes in his work.

• The Grindstone

  The poem centers on the physical and emotional labor of grinding a blade, exploring the tension between effort, control, and the cost of perfection.

• Good-Bye and Keep Cold

  The speaker's business with 'different trees' and the mention of axe work on maples, birches, and tamaracks underscores the labor involved in tending to the land.

• Not to Keep

  The grim duty of war is portrayed as a repetitive, laborious task that both the soldier and his wife must endure.

• The Kitchen Chimney

  The poem focuses on the labor of building a chimney, emphasizing the importance of doing the work correctly from the ground up.

• Gathering Leaves

  The poem centers on the labor of gathering leaves, emphasizing the repetitive and seemingly pointless nature of the task.

• Plowmen

  The act of plowing, typically associated with farming, is applied to snow, highlighting the absurdity and futility of labor in a harsh environment.