On “Nantucket”

In “Nantucket”, Williams uses many objects to stress the purity and cleanliness. The

setting of this poem is in the town called “Nantucket” in Massachusetts, USA. This town is a

good place for vacation because there are ocean breeze and beautiful beach. This poem illustrates

vivid flowers outside the window of hotel room in Nantucket. Inside hotel room, there are many

objects such as white curtains, glass tray, glass pitcher, tumbler, key, and white bed. Williams

writes “On the glass tray/ a glass pitcher, the tumbler” and “…white bed” (6-7, 10). The narrator

mentions tray, pitcher and tumbler which make of glass to reinforce idea of purity and

cleanliness. Williams choose objects made of glass because glass is transparent, clear, and pure.

These characteristics of glass are similar to characteristic of purity thus, Williams selects glass

object to represent purity. Narrator also indicates “white bed” which represents the cleanliness.

Color white use to represents cleanliness, sterile place such as hospital, and purity. In this poem,

white bed is the last object that appears to stress the idea of cleanliness. Narrator mentions bed

because bed is the most obvious thing that can be seen when entering the hotel room. Therefore,

white bed proves that purity and cleanliness are main idea that narrator wants to express from

reading this poem.