A symbol is an image that appeals to one or more of the senses, but suggests another level of meaning, often something more abstract than the actual image. An image of the sun can symbolically convey the notion of rebirth, for example. In this poem, however, the symbols are grimmer. In Line 14, for example, “dusk,” the time of day when darkness approaches, symbolizes both death and mourning. Dusk represents not only the untimely snuffing out of so many young lives during the war but also the darkness that has come into the lives of the bereaved, which descends night after night at the “drawing-down of blinds” (Line 14). The latter phrase can be taken to symbolize the shutting out of the external world as part of the ritual of private grief.

Candles, mentioned in Line 9, are often used in Christian worship, including funerals. As lights shining in the darkness, they symbolize the light of god, the light of Christ, or can simply symbolize hope and remembrance. In this poem, however, Owen draws attention to what he sees as the limitations of such symbolism. Much more potent is the light in the eyes of the boys—brothers or sons—mourning a loved one.