Mother to Son

BY L A NG STON HU GH ES

Well, son, Ill tell you:

Life for me aint been no crystal stair.
Its had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor
Bare.
But all the time
Ise been a-climbin on,
And reachin landins,
And turnin corners,
And sometimes goin in the dark
Where there aint been no light.
So boy, dont you turn back.
Dont you set down on the steps
Cause you finds its kinder hard.
Dont you fall now
For Ise still goin, honey,
Ise still climbin,
And life for me aint been no crystal stair.

Hughes wrote "Mother to Son" when he was 21 years old. He

structures the poem as a conversation between a mother and her
son. It is free verse and written in the vernacular, meaning that it
mimics the patterns of speech and diction of conversation. The
mother begins by telling her son how hard her life has been it has
not been a "crystal stair." Hughes then develops the metaphor of a
staircase further, as the mother describes the challenges in her life
using symbols like tacks, splinters, uncarpeted floor, and dark, unlit
corners. She exhorts her son not to turn back, because she never
will.
By using the metaphor of the staircase, Hughes alludes to Jacob's
Ladder. The Mother character is on a difficult and arduous uphill
journey, hoping that if she endures her struggles she can eventually
ascend to the highest "Promised Land." Biblical imagery was quite
common in autobiographical accounts of slavery and racial injustice
during the early 20th Century. The Mother tries to help her son
maintain his faith as well, which will help him persevere through
life's struggles. The mother's voice in "Mother to Son" is similar to
the voice of the poet in "Dreams," who offers advice and hope for
any of his readers who might be losing faith.

Summary:
"Mother to Son"
The mother says to her son that life has not been a crystal stair
it has had tacks and splinters and torn boards on it, as well as
places without carpet. The stair is bare. However, she still climbs
on, reaching landings, turning corners, and persevering in the dark
when there is no light. She commands him, So boy, dont you turn
back. She instructs him not to go back down the stairs even if he
thinks climbing is hard. He should try not to fall because his mother
is still going, still climbing, and her life aint been no crystal stair.