Icarus (Symbol)
In this poem, Icarus functions as a symbol for mythic narratives. He is used to represent the sort of cultural touchstone which usually receives priority and focus from storytellers. By placing him in the background of the poem (as Bruegel's painting does) Williams pulls off the relatively radical act of shifting the type of story that receives top billing in literature. He opts for the quotidian image of the farmer and his plowing, giving it time and attention in the text. Icarus's story is particularly fitting for this theme as it is about hubris and the dangers of inflated self-confidence. Icarus did not heed his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun because he assumed no harm would come to him. In this regard, Icarus is a perfect contrast to the farmer, who is absorbed in his work, tethered closely to the earth, and thus connected to reality, less likely to be carried away by dangerous illusions.
The Farmer (Symbol)
The farmer functions as a symbol in the poem for everyday stories. Bruegel was famously interested in depicting scenes from lower-class village life. Williams picks up on this interest and builds on it in this poem. He emphasizes the care, effort, and meaning in the farmer's work to prioritize his narrative over the myth of Icarus. In placing focus on the farmer's mundane actions, Williams offers a new vision of whose stories get to be told and treated as important. As such, the farmer serves the poem in showing how scenes like his can be highlighted and given value in art.
Viewpoint (Motif)
One of the poem's central motifs is viewpoint. This is reflected literally in Bruegel's painting, as the farmer is placed in the foreground, and Icarus is a minor detail in a corner. However, it is expanded upon in the poem in the way Williams zooms in on the farmer's work, providing meaningful detail and evoking beauty in his tilling of his newly enriched fields. He does this again in the poem's later sections, as he repeatedly downplays the importance of Icarus's drowning and continually makes only passing mention of its specificities (the melting of his wings, his splash into the water). Viewpoint is essential to the poem in that Williams is exploring how seemingly major events can be reduced to mere background noise. In this case, the farmer is too preoccupied with his serious efforts even to perceive Icarus's plummeting into the sea.
