The poem explores women providing for others in society, with the role of the mother expanding to unmanageable proportions, resulting in death. Duffy suggests that woman have been forced to learn to take on responsibility in for the whole of society. Duffy exaggerates this by constantly increasing the amount people until the woman is worked to death. Duffy aims for the woman to represent Mother Nature, as well as all women in society and in history. With Duffy reversing the stereotypes of “motherhood and stay at home mothers having an easier life”, and showing all women, (working or staying at home) as having responsibilities to provide and care for the world.

• A reference to the stereotype of “stay at home mothers” (domestic motherhood) and their traditional responsibilities: ‘she worked from home, took in washing, ironing, sewing’
• Moves onto farming where populations grew: ‘she worked outside, sewed seeds, watered, threshed, scythed, gathered barley, wheat, corn’
• A reference to industrialisation: ‘at first light, oil, metal, noise, machines. To feed fifty’
• A reference to women’s responsibilities increasing: ‘Mother to millions now’
• A reference to Mother Nature: ‘trawled the seas, hoovered fish, felled trees’
• The woman was overworked, to the point of death: ‘sickened, died, lay in a grave, worked, to the bone, her fingers twenty-four seven’