Eating Alone By Li-Young Lee

In the poem “Eating Alone” by Li-Young Lee the theme is one of both love and the loss of someone, in particular the author’s father. He uses symbols and images within his wording to bring forth the memory of his late father. The imagery is utilized several times throughout the poem. An example of this imagery are in line 1 through 3, “I’ve pulled the last of the year’s young onions” (Lee 971), which can tell you that the weather is changing, its getting colder. “The garden is bare now. The ground is cold, brown and old” (2-3). This confirms that the weather is indeed getting cooler. It’s more of a sad tone as well, the author is in a sad state of mind.

“I still see him bend that way, left hand braced on knee, creaky” (11-12). When the author speaks of his father, the reader can picture an elderly gentleman kneeling down and his knee making a popping or cracking sound as he does so, likely from arthritis in his joints. He was also a gardener like the author is, lines 13 and 14 show that likelihood, “to lift and hold to my eye a rotten pear.” (Lee 971) …show more content…
“Sweet green peas fried in onions. Shrimp braised in sesame oil and garlic” (20-22). The wording brings to mind the visual image of the food cooking in a