In "Mother to Son,"" Langston Hughes reveals through his diction how progressing through life can be compared to a simple task like climbing an ordinary staircase. Hughes gives a clear account of how a mother encourages her son to not give up on striving for success in life simply because things are not always easy. .
In his choice of words, Hughes describes a conversation in which a mother explains to her son that even though life can be unpleasant at times, a person should not give up on his dreams. Langston Hughes uses images of "stairs- to symbolize different stages of human growth. While reading this poem, one can see the mother's attempts to explain life by vividly describing each stage or "stair- of life as it really is, rather that how it may appear to her son.
In the line, "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair,"" The mother is simply telling her son that she has not enjoyed an easy, carefree existence "in other words, life was not always pretty for her. When I think of "crystal,"" I see clear glass; meticulously sculptured (sometimes resembling a fine diamond), of superior quality, smooth to the touch and pleasing to the eye. When I read this poem, it was clear to me that the mother is saying that life for her has been quite the opposite. She tells her son that instead of being smooth and attractive like "crystal,"" most of the stairs in her life presented challenges. Some stairs had tacks and splinters in them; some with boards torn up; some even had places where carpet was missing. In spite of these obstacles she continued to climb, she refused to give up.
In the lines about "reachin' landin's,"" "turnin' corners,"" and "sometimes goin' in the dark where there ain't been no light,"" Hughes lets the reader know that the mother has changed direction several times in her life. It is unclear however, if these changes were due to the obstacles in her way or simply a change in her desires or goals.
