The Crazy Woman

In the poem, November symbolizes gloom and a time of the year not regularly welcomed by a majority of people in the northern hemisphere. The month links to the onset of winter and the disappearance of light, warmth, and bountiful nature. It is a month for turning from the festivities of the summer and the harvest to a quieter, more solitary existence at home. The colorful world vanishes, and the world turns “gray” (Line 4) as leaves fall from the trees and winter sets in. As she does with May, the speaker tells the reader what November symbolizes. After the first mention of November in Line 3, the speaker says November is the month when she can “sing a song of gray” (Line 4). Gray, too, works to enhance this symbol. It is a cool color that represents gloom, sadness, melancholy, and doom. The gray symbolism reinforces the heavy and morose symbolism of November.

While May might be associated with the collective expectations of the “little people” (Line 9), November, in addition to representing gloom, symbolizes the woman’s individuality. The woman stands out due to her choice to sing in November. If, contrary to her desires, she sings in May and meets the expectations of the “little people,” she’s becomes one of the little people. By singing in May, she does not stand out, so she is not deemed crazy. The woman’s alliance with November symbolizes individuality and a break from norms and customs. The pairing makes sense: the woman is an individual, so she sings during a singular and solitary time of the year.