Grief and Loss
Though he is not inclined toward grand displays of emotion, the speaker relays his grief over Lucy's death. She died young, and he never could have anticipated such a sudden loss. The speaker first hints at loss in "Strange fits of passion have I known" before announcing her death in "She dwelt among the untrodden ways." In a sense, the youth and innocence of his beloved are what make her death both seemingly appropriate and torturous. Having died young, her memory had no time for corruption in Wordsworth's mind. From his perspective, she will always remain a recently matured, graceful, and innocent figure, though the grief over her loss is immense.
Youth and Maturity
In his contemplations of love for Lucy, the speaker often returns to the fact of her youth. In "Three years she grew in sun and shower," he remembers watching her grow up from girl to woman in a short amount of time. He devotes much time to describing how her body changed, her impulses lessened, and her intelligence grew. Finally, this maturity seems odd in regards to her death. In death, she appears so much younger still. "A slumber did my spirit seal" describes the seeming absurdity of such a premature death, though she was not a child.
Loyalty Through Memory
Throughout this cycle of poems, the speaker relays his memories to the reader. Lucy is a powerful image of his past that still haunts him in the present. In a sense, the speaker attempts to prolong and continue his devotion to her in life by so ardently preserving her memory. To him, this is an act of loyalty. Thus memory becomes the key to understanding poems like "She dwelt among the untrodden ways." The speaker is forever linking this time in his life when he knew Lucy with his truest self and his greatest memories. In "I travelled among unknown men," he goes one step further, comparing his fidelity to England and commitment to remaining in his homeland forever to his love for Lucy and his commitment to preserving her memory.
Eternal Love
While Lucy may have died young and before the speaker ever had a chance to have a life with her, she remains his beloved. Through recollections of her, the speaker conveys how lovely she was and how her memory has impacted his life. Lucy's existence solidified his loyalty to his home country of England, making the speaker a great lover of both a woman and his native land. While the age of the speaker is unknown, the speaker nonetheless relays the passage of time through his travels. This creates the impression that he is no longer a young man himself, and thus has been carrying a torch for his beloved Lucy for many years now.
Romanticism
The poem is a typical example of Romantic poetry. The way nature is glorified as a serene, magnificent place is a hallmark of this period. in addition, Lucy's portrayal as a virtuous, beautiful country girl also suggests that she had this character because she lived in a place that was far away from society. In Romantic works, society is often depicted as a source of corruption.
Self-Awareness
The speaker demonstrates a sharp self-awareness throughout the cycle of poems. In "Strange fits of passion have I known," he may be enamored with his lover but he is also aware of his deep fears and anxiety over the thought of losing her. He takes the image of the dropping moon to be a wake-up call, making him reflect upon how much he loves Lucy. Later in the cycle, he talks about how his travels abroad made him appreciate his homeland more and that he would honor his love for Lucy and his country by never leaving again. In the final poem, he acknowledges that his spirit had been asleep when thinking that Lucy would never really die, and now he must accept the reality that she is gone.
Innocence and Fragility
Lucy is frequently compared to various natural elements that are fragile: a rose, a violet, a fawn, etc. She is an innocent creature who lives quietly and peacefully away from society, yet nature itself ultimately destroys her by taking her away very young. She plays a passive role in the poem cycle, suggesting that she had no real power over her life and that she was always subject to the indifference of other people and ultimately the cruelty of nature.
