D.H Lawrence

It is stated in D.H Lawrence’s biography contained within the book that his writings of the relationship between a mother and son are “ruined by possessiveness, an excess of feeling”, and Lawrence’s “Piano” is just that.  The poem begins with a woman singing and playing the piano.  It takes the narrator back to when he was a child.  The singing brings back memories of the child’s mother singing and playing the piano as well.  The narrator may very well be Lawrence himself; the use of the word “boom” and the way the pressing of the pedals with his mother are described lead the reader to believe that he actually experienced this.  The narrator allows himself to relive these memories in such a way that he wishes he could go back those those Sunday evenings at home.  As the woman continues her song, the narrator’s present-life is cast behind his childhood memories and he weeps like a child for his past.  Something as simple as a woman’s singing voice and piano triggered memories of the narrator and the times he shared with his mother, and it gave her the power to possess this moment in life by reminding him of his childhood.  It is common for an adult to reflect back on their childhood and wish they had done certain things differently, and it is as an adult that these feelings trigger regret, and therefore the narrator’s immense emotion is portrayed in the last line.