The choice of symbols in a literary work depends on the author, the author’s background and what he or she is trying to say. For instance, in many cultures, water is a universal symbol for life, but in the poem Winter Mourning, the symbolic meaning of the stagnant water is death.

There is symbolic evidence in the poem that the theme the author has chosen relates to a couple’s lifeless marriage. Muncey relies on many natural symbols to express this theme. She also uses contrasting symbols to show both sides of her idea.