she dwelt among the untrodden ways summary shmoop
She dwelt among the untrodden ways According to the literary critic Kenneth Ober, the poem describes the "growth, perfection, and death" of Lucy.[2] Whether Wordsworth has declared his love for her is left ambivalent, and even whether she had been aware of the poet's affection is unsaid. However the poet's feelings remain unrequited, and his final verse reveals that the subject of his affections has died alone. Lucy's "untrodden ways" are symbolic to the poet of both her physical isolation and the unknown details of her mind and life. In the poem, Wordsworth is concerned not so much with his observation of Lucy, but with his experience when reflecting on her death.[3]