19 pages • 38 minutes read
Ada LimónThe Leash
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Dog
On one level, the dog in the poem is simply what it says it is: the speaker’s pet. At the same time, dogs are recognizable cultural symbols of pure loyalty and joyful fellowship. They are “man’s best friend.”
The dog appears at the point in the poem when the speaker begins to consider the possibility for healing in the world. The dog is, to a large degree, a symbol of that hope.
The dog is physically vulnerable, described as both soft and small—especially in comparison to the “pickup trucks break-necking down / the road” (Lines 19-20). She is also made vulnerable by one of the things that makes dogs so loveable: her “goddamn enthusiasm” (Line 23). The dog hurls herself at traffic because she is “sure, without a doubt” (Line 21) that the world returns her love in equal measure. Because of this, she is also a symbol of that innocence.
This softness is what the opening section of the poem seems to target. And this aspect of dog and human both is what the poet speaks to when she says, “Don’t die” (Lines 11 and 25).
Machinery
The machinery in the poem stands in contrast to nature, organic community, and people. They represent death; in their most destructive form, the machines symbolize violent, senseless death—the capacity of humans to hurt and kill one another. The machinery of death is embodied in the poem through the bombs, guns, and bullets. It is in the “slate metal maw / that swallows only the unsayable in each of us” (Lines 4-5).
The pickup trucks aren’t machines designed for violence. They may be working vehicles—helping haul materials—or a personal choice of transportation. But they still pose a threat when “break-necking down / the road” (Lines 19-20). In this way, they are manifestations of human careless oblivion—they don’t notice the dog chasing them.
In the closing lines of the poem, the speaker compares the dog and truck to humans “hurtling our body towards / the thing that will obliterate us” (Lines 29-30). They become symbols of the forces of the universe, “the speeding passage of time” and all endings.
Leash
The leash is a concrete example of a literal lifeline; a connection that can save a life. The poet yanks her dog back from dangerous traffic, rescuing her from danger. She does this because she loves her dog and wants her to “survive forever” (Line 25). The leash is a communal bond—a vital connection between us—one that may keep humanity from drowning in poison.
When the poem asks “what’s / left?” (Lines 5-6) the answer may well be “the leash.” Interconnections are what help us safeguard one another, so maybe, despite the state of the world, “we can walk together / peacefully, at least until the next truck comes” (Lines 32-33).
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By Ada Limón
