Structure of "Life in the Forest," with analysis of an essential poem

Denise Levertov's book "Life in the Forest" (1978), is purposefully structured to show the rich diversity of her work. In the introductory not of the book, Levertov writes about the first section aptly titled Homage to Pavese, explaining that the indefinite direction in which her work was heading was confirmed and validated by her discover of Cesare Pavese's book "Lavore Stanca" (1936). This direction was impelled by a desire to vary a habitual lyric mode through exploration of more expansive means, and to avoid overuse of autobiographical motif. Levertov suggests alternate ways of reading between the poems and suggestions - with the implicit and unified organic form of the poems allowing them to be read or viewed as both contained within their respective sections, and connected throughout the book by unifying themes.

The first section of the book, entitled Homage to Pavese, introduces the themes and images of nature, humanity, traveling, separation, loneliness, lovers, and the death of a loved one. By the end of the section, the poet focuses entirely on the death of her mother.

The poem "A Daughter (I)" is written entirely in third person, although the poet is referring to herself. This method emphasizes the metaphor of the existential strangeness of the death of a loved one, as well as the poet's expression of grieving and for the distance or alienation in her mother dying far from home.

For example, the poet writes of herself in the third person in the second stanza of the poem:
"...And part of her / ached for her mother's pain, / her dying here - at home, yet far away from home, / thousands of miles of earth and sea, and and ninety years / from her roots"...(26).

And similarly toward the end of the poem:
"...She wants to go back to Mexico, sit by her mother, / have her be strong and say, Go, child, and I bless you. / She did say it! But weakly; it wasn't enough; she wants to hear it again and again" (28).

Although "A Daughter (I)" is written in the third person, Levertov manages to convey an great amount of grief and sorrow. The effect of the poet writing about herself from this distance allows for omniscient wisdom rooted in tragedy.

In the last stanza the poet writes:

"...Something within her twists and turns, / she is tired and ashamed. She sobs, but her eyes / cannot make tears. She imagines herself / entering a dark cathedral to pray, and blessedly /  falling asleep there, and not wakening / for a year, for seven years, / for a century"(28).