20 pages • 40 minutes read
To an Athlete Dying Young
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Symbols & Motifs
The Athlete as a Symbol of Fame and the Romantic Individual
The athlete becomes a symbol of fame because the people in his town adore him and put him on a figurative pedestal. The speaker says, “[w]e chaired you through the market-place” (Line 2). They lifted him and carried him to celebrate his accomplishments. As a symbol of fame, it’s less important that the athlete is an athlete and more consequential that the athlete amassed considerable acclaim. The athlete isn’t a literary star, a movie star, or a person with millions of followers on social media. Nonetheless, in the context that Housman creates, the athlete represents a celebrity. Through the figure of the athlete, Housman confronts the sad irony of the star’s early death and its positive impact on how people will remember him.
The mystery around the athlete also makes him a Romantic symbol. The athlete reinforces the Romantic notion that human life is as volatile and unknowable as nature. To support the Romantic symbolism, Housman connects the athlete to specific things in nature, like laurels and roses. Conversely, the athlete represents the antithesis of the Romantic individual. The athlete controls his fate by dying young and freezing his identity. The athlete symbolizes the transformation of a human into an object that people “flock to gaze” (Line 26) at.
The Laurel as a Symbol of Fame and Ironic Martyrdom
Like the athlete, the laurel symbolizes fame. The speaker says, “And early though the laurel grows / It withers quicker than the rose” (Lines 11-12). Laurel is a shrub with shiny dark green leaves, and its growth represents the rise of a person. Like the laurel, a person can receive fame early in life. The laurel reappears when the speaker describes the “early-laurelled head” of the athlete (Line 25). Laurels can mean honors or rewards. It’s also a crown made of leaves worn as a symbol of honor during classical times. As Housman devoted much of his life to studying the classics, it’s not difficult to understand why Housman uses laurel imagery to symbolize fame.
What’s more complicated is how the laurel represents martyrdom. Leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus Christ’s executioners placed a crown of thorns on his head. The athlete’s crown is not a crown of thorns, yet it’s still a crown, and, like Christ, the athlete faces an eventful death. Housman arguably uses laurel imagery to make a caustic comment on Western norms. The athlete becomes a martyr. Yet, ironically, he doesn’t die for humankind or some spiritual cause. He dies to preserve his glorious reputation.
How the Girl Symbolizes Beauty and Innocence
A girl gets the final say in the poem. She’s the last word, so there’s a fair amount of pressure on what she possibly symbolizes. In the Romantic tradition, young women tend to symbolize beauty and innocence. In Lord Byron’s Romantic poem “She Walks in Beauty” (1814), the young woman “walks in beauty” (Line 1) and is “pure” (Line 12) and “innocent” (Line 18). Innocence and beauty don’t frequently stick around. They are brief, and in Housman’s poem, the athlete’s laurels are “briefer than a girl’s” (Line 28). As the athlete died young, he, like the girl, represents beauty and innocence. Unlike the girl, the athlete doesn’t have to fret about losing his looks and purity. He’s dead; he’s successfully evaded corruption and potential ugliness.
The speaker links the athlete to the girl to support the idea that the athlete remains pure and beautiful. Not only does the athlete retain his wholesomeness and good looks, but he surpasses the symbolic force of the girl. His “garland” (Line 28)—his symbolism of fame and beauty—is more concise and sharper than the kind represented by a girl. The girl still represents beauty and innocence, but only so Housman can subvert the symbolism by applying it to the male athlete, who becomes a stronger symbol of purity and beauty.
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