This poem suggests that the grandfather changed the boy's life in his room in many ways. Firstly in line 24 the room is described as "regaining silence" when the grandfather leaves. So without his grandfather he would have no one to talk to. Secondly, the grandfather was his only real contact with other people and the world beyond the room. This is proved in lines 10 to 20 as it is described as "only through him could I breathe in the sun and smell of fields.

The grandfather's description is described as a slow man. This is shown in line 2 as it describes his walking like "an old tree." He is also described having a "beard charred with tobacco" and his clothes described as "reeked of soil and the world outside. This explains to us that the grandfather is very outgoing.

The atmosphere is described very differently between when the grandfather is in the house and when he isn't. Firstly when the grandfather is in not there, it is described as very quiet, lonely and crammed with furniture in lines 1 to 10. When his grandfather comes in, it describes the change in smell, sight and mental image. When his grandfather comes in, it portrays the way the boy could imagine the world outside which he is missing inside this cramped room"

The poet wanted to write this poem to show us how much an impact his grandfather had on his life when he was young and sick. In the last lines, where it says "Only now, years later in a cramped city, can I be grateful for his influence and love", it shows us that only now, when he is old he can see how much his grandfather's time in the room meant to him.