6. Summary

The poem 'The River' by C.A. Bowles talks about the journey of a river from its initial stages to its union with the ocean in the end. The poem compares and contrasts this concept to a more serious theme of man's journey from his childhood to death. The poem starts off by describing the initial course of the river as it sparkles and flows over yellow pebbles, thereby nourishing the plants and flowers on the way. The poet compares this stage to a child who is playing. The river then goes through some rough and smooth patches like the youth of an individual. It swells up with water in this phase. The next phase has the river brimming with water like the prime of one's life, moving towards old age. The river finally becomes one with the ocean, and this is similar to a person's life in the world coming to an end but continuing one's existence in the afterlife.