Title - An Apple Gathering

• The Title 'An Apple Gathering' recalls the biblical moment of Eve gathering the forbidden fruit, anchoring the poem in a moral and spiritual framework - This allusion subtly casts the narrator’s actions in a morally ambiguous light, even if her transgression is not explicit - It foregrounds themes of temptation, innocence lost, and the consequences of choice, especially for women
• The Title 'An Apple Gathering' often symbolise fertility, sensuality, and feminine maturity, making their gathering a metaphor for attaining womanhood or romantic fulfilment - The narrator’s failure to collect them may imply infertility, emotional barrenness, or societal rejection - Thus, the title foregrounds unfulfilled expectations imposed on Victorian women regarding marriage and motherhood
• The Title 'An Apple Gathering' suggests traditional rural labour, aligning women with nature, productivity, and domestic value - The speaker’s failure to perform this symbolic task positions her as unproductive or unworthy in the eyes of society - The title therefore sets the stage for a critique of how women's social value was measured by visible, fruitful outcomes
• The Title 'An Apple Gathering' may also signify a moment of emotional recollection - “gathering” memories rather than fruit - It gestures toward a lost past when love and companionship were abundant, now replaced by emptiness - The simplicity of the phrase cloaks a deeper sorrow rooted in regret and isolation
• The Title 'An Apple Gathering' suggests a poem about abundance, harvest, and satisfaction - However, the narrative immediately undercuts this, delivering instead a tale of emptiness, mockery, and exclusion - The ironic contrast between the hopeful title and the melancholic content reinforces the poem’s themes of loss and societal judgment