18 pages 36 minutes read

Thomas Hardy

Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1913

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Symbols & Motifs

The Grave

The speaker’s grave is the most important symbol in the poem, serving as a setting and as the embodiment of the poem’s thematic preoccupations with death and memory. Variations of the phrase “digging on my grave” occur at the opening of each of the poem’s six stanzas (Lines 1, 7, 13, 19, 25, and 31), constantly reminding the reader that this dialogue is taking place in a graveyard and emphasizing that the poem’s speaker is deceased. The grave represents all that is now left of the speaker. Her grave is her last link to the life she once led, and therefore neglecting her grave means neglecting her memory. In discovering that no one is visiting her grave, the speaker learns the extent of her loved ones’ indifference, revealing the fragility of human affection and memory more generally.

The Dog’s Bone

The dog’s bone in the poem’s sixth and final stanza is a symbol of the mundaneness and banality of death. When the speaker discovers the identity of her grave’s visitor, she is at first delighted, believing that her dog’s presence proves that animals have purer loyalty than humans do. However, the dog merely wanted to bury a bone for his “daily trot” (Line 34) by the gravesite.

Related Titles

By Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

Channel Firing

Thomas Hardy

Channel Firing

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

Far From The Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy

Far From The Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

Jude the Obscure

Thomas Hardy

Jude the Obscure

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

Neutral Tones

Thomas Hardy

Neutral Tones

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

The Convergence of the Twain

Thomas Hardy

The Convergence of the Twain: Lines on the loss of the "Titanic"

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

The Darkling Thrush

Thomas Hardy

The Darkling Thrush

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

The Man He Killed

Thomas Hardy

The Man He Killed

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

The Return of the Native

Thomas Hardy

The Return of the Native

Thomas Hardy

Plot Summary

logo

The Withered Arm and Other Stories

Thomas Hardy

The Withered Arm and Other Stories

Thomas Hardy

Study Guide

logo

The Woodlanders

Thomas Hardy

The Woodlanders

Thomas Hardy