"In her room at the prow of the house/ Where light breaks, and the windows are tossed with linden/ My daughter is writing a story" (1-3). The prow of a boat is the foremost part, the projection of a vessel. The parent has placed the daughter in the forefront room of the home, and symbolically in the same position in his life. This symbol demonstrates the importance of the child to the home. Although the gender of the parent is never revealed in the poem, Wilbur leads the audience to believe that the speaker is a father. Fathers are generally emotionally close to their daughters, but physically distant. Once a girl becomes a woman, fathers tend to retreat, respecting a daughter's space and coming of age. Although the speaker suggests many things that reveal a close relationship with the child, the physical distance is also evident in the poem. The parent is at a closed door listening to the sou
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