Clothing

The principal motif in this short poem is clothing. Clothing can be said to be a “motif” rather than a “theme” because, in this text, it appears repeatedly, representing different things each time, rather than being a focus of the poem overall. Clothing functions as a symbol of social roles and the expectations that our culture places on individuals – and the removal, particularly the partial removal, of clothing symbolizes what it means to violate or abandon those social roles, voluntarily or otherwise.

As important as clothing and personal representation is today, it was even more significant during Herrick’s lifetime. Clothing held both religious and cultural meaning that was strictly proscribed and of great importance. In the early modern period, everyone (including Herrick, who at various times in his life made his living as a pastor) was expected to practice Christianity. One of the foundational narratives...