Bidwell Ghost Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

Bidwell Ghost Poem Summary

Preview of Bidwell Ghost Summary:

Lines 1-3

Here the poet introduces the ghost, a girl, caught in a pattern of waiting, standing by the road "each night" in the same white dress. Using figurative language to describe the dress as "embroidered with fire," the poet suggests this is probably the same outfit the girl died in years ago.

Lines 4-6

These lines establish how long ago the fatal fire occurred, destroying the house in the orchard along with the girl, though there is no mention of her family. These lines also inform us that even after this long, the place is still abandoned; no one ever visits.

Lines 7-9

Here the poet describes the effects of the fire's heat on the surrounding orchard. The branches were burned, though the trees didn't die. Notice the similarity between the tree and the girl thus far in the poem: both show evidence of the fire, yet both still "survive," the trees still...
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