Apples

The apples are the central symbol of “After Apple-Picking” and represent the various possibilities offered to individuals as they progress through life. However, despite their large numbers – “ten thousand thousand fruit to touch” – and how they are seemingly easy to reach, they also represent a sense of unfulfillment. After all, the speaker has a self-defeating realization in relation to apples, that “I am overtired / Of the great harvest I myself desired” (28-29). Additionally, he realizes that making the personal choice to endeavor to pick the apples does not change their sordid fate – “For all / That struck the earth, / No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble, / Went surely to the cider-apple heap / As of no worth” (32-36). Therefore, the apples also represent a sense of inescapable fatalism.

Ladder

The recurring symbol of the ladder represents the ascent towards one’s lofty goals. This symbolism “After...