North of Boston · Theme
Nature and the Land
How North of Boston develops Nature and the Land.
The natural world is both a source of sustenance and a force of indifference, as in 'The Mountain,' where the landscape dominates human life, and in 'Blueberries,' where wild fruit shapes community and economy.
Where it surfaces
- The Pasture
The poem centers on intimate interactions with the natural world—cleaning a spring and caring for a calf—highlighting the beauty and simplicity of pastoral life.
- The Mountain
The mountain dominates the landscape and shapes the lives of those who live near it, with its mysterious spring and challenging terrain.
- Blueberries
The blueberry patch thrives after a fire, illustrating nature's regenerative power and the bounty of wild landscapes.
- After Apple-Picking
The imagery of apples, the ladder, the drinking trough, and the hoary grass grounds the poem in the natural world, with the harvest serving as a backdrop for the speaker's introspection.
- The Generations of Men
The rainy setting, raspberry vines, brook, and mountain landscape frame the encounter, with the brook's sound serving as a medium for oracular voices.
- The Self-Seeker
The injured man's love for wild orchids and his botanical pursuits contrast with the industrial world, emphasizing the loss of natural beauty and connection to the land.
- The Wood-Pile
The frozen swamp, the trees, the bird, and the decaying woodpile all emphasize the natural landscape and its indifference to human labor.