#7- "After Apple Picking"

I believe the central theme in this poem is the age of the speaker and the weariness he is feeling. I think that this is about a man who has lived his life, but is growing tired and has come to grips with the fact that he is tired and that death is the inevitable end of life. I do think that he is unhappy with some of his choices, but that it is life. The empty barrel (ln 3) could represent the things he hadn't done and "no matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble" could represent the things he had done and the battering he took sometimes as well. I especially was proud of my analysis of the window in relationship to the theme. The previous line talked about the strangeness in sight, which to me represents the failing sight older people face, as the speaker looks through a pane of glass. I always think of looking through a pane of glass as a glimpse into another world or a setting which you are not, so the glass could be representing his life as he remembers it and plays back his memories. Finally, is the repetitive apple picking itself. The speaker is clear when he states that he is tired from apple picking and doing it every fall. This shows how tired the old man is and how waking up is almost like apple picking to him.