Previous Next

“This Is Just to Say” is characterized by a gently satirical tone. This tone is admittedly easy to miss. Indeed, if we read the poem as nothing more than a speaker apologizing for having eaten the last plums, then we’ll miss how Williams references the biblical story of the Fall. In the Bible, Adam and Eve commit the first sin by going against God’s decree not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Unable to quell their curiosity, they take an illicit piece of fruit from the Tree and eat it. This act had massive consequences. Not only did it lead to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden, but it’s also the reason that, according to some denominations of Christianity, all humans are born in a state of original sin. “This Is Just to Say” subtly references this story from the Bible. This reference is particularly evident in the structure of confession and penitence enacted by the speaker over the course of the poem. However, even though the speaker explicitly asks for forgiveness, they don’t seem particularly penitent. Instead, they celebrate the illicit plum’s deliciousness. By concluding the poem in this way, Williams gently satirizes the biblical story of the Fall.

Previous section Symbols Next section Structure

Take a Study Break