The poem opens with the image of an angel and a squirrel. On their surface, these two images have nothing in common. This is purposeful, though. The idea of the two images is to show the vast scope of how unimaginable it is to be a parent if you are not one. The point here is to create the most intense comparison possible. It’s a form of hyperbole.

However, just because this is hyperbole doesn’t mean the two images are without meaning. Just as the rest of the poem deals with opposing things, so does this image. The angel is a grand symbol of innocence and purity. The squirrel is a small symbol of survival, nature, and practicality. Like how a child exists within a grand imaginative world of innocence and purity, the adult exists within the natural world where survival and practicality matter most. The similarities between the metaphorical implications of the angel and squirrel and the metaphorical qualities of the adult and child are purposeful.

Near the end of the poem, the speaker laments the death of parents. He says death takes not only parents, but also “the last link / of that chain” (Lines 23-24).