Characters and speaker

In “After a Journey”, the poet Thomas Hardy becomes the main character and speaker. There is no doubt that Hardy is the speaker, as the poem was clearly written soon after the death of his wife Emma.

The presence of the poet is made felt through the use of personal pronouns from the very beginning of the poem:

“Hereto I come to view a voiceless ghost;
Whither, O whither will its whim now draw me?” (ll. 1-2)

Another important character is the spirit of Emma, his deceased wife. She is portrayed as a “voiceless ghost” (l. 1); she is silent, she does not speak, but she seems to cast her spell on the poet. He is bewildered and almost unaware of his surroundings:

“Up the cliff, down, till I'm lonely, lost,
And the unseen waters' ejaculations awe me.
Where you will next be there's no knowing,
Facing round about me everywhere,” (ll. 3-6)

The bewilderment of the poet is great, since the ghost of his wife seems to adopt her youthful looks:

“With your nut-coloured hair,
And gray eyes, and rose-flush coming ...