The Role of the Speaker and Dramatic Situation in The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter
             In the poem, The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter Ezra Pound, leaves us in question about a relationship in which there was a dramatic break up between two people. Ezra Pound, through the role of the speaker, dramatic situation and certain experiences illustrates the purpose of the poem to the reader in several ways.
             First of all, I would like to explain who the speaker really is in the poem. We know that the voice that we read is not that of the poet but rather it is the voice of a young girl. The poet conveys the young girl as being very innocent and vulnerable by saying, "[her] hair was still cut straight across her forehead." The symbol of bangs cut straight across someone's forehead reminds one of childhood memories, when one's mother was around to do so with their children. The act of "pulling flowers" also illustrates the carefree events that we encountered as a child. As the poet takes us through a sequence of events the speaker begins to age and mature into her teenage years. The speaker then goes through a transition from being a little girl, who was picking flowers to a very mature, married woman who has fallen in love.
             As time progressed, the tone and mood made us feel that the speaker was having a very unhappy marriage. The speaker, being the Merchant's wife was not always happy and joyful, as she appeared to be in her childhood days. The speaker demonstrates this by saying, "I never laughed, being bashful. Lowering my head, I looked at the wall." As one can see the Merchant's wife seems to show a sort of resentment towards her husband. As time progressed even further, her anger and bitterness seemed to fade. An example of her changing mood would be when the speaker says, " At fifteen I stopped scowling, I desire my dust to be mingled with yours.&q...