Question

In “To a Poor Old Woman,” which symbolic importance or meaning do the plums take on?

Answer 1

Answer: they represent the simple joys of life, which are available to anyone.

In this poem, the author describes a woman who is eating plums. The woman is old and poor, but she greatly enjoys eating her plums out of a brown paper bag. The poem is meant to show how the simple joys in life are available to everyone, regardless of who we are, what we look like or how much money we have.

Answer 2

The plums in this poem symbolize comfort and happiness. The old woman is "giving herself" to the plum in her hand which shows that she is completely engrossed in the act of eating it and putting her life into it. Williams also directly says that she is 'comforted' and finds a 'solace' in the plums which show their importance to her happiness.