Time

After reading "The Force…" a time or two, it becomes pretty clear that the force is an extended metaphor for time. It's just one of many ways Thomas expresses the notion of time in the poem. Time is also personified throughout the poem in various ways. In fact, once you know what to look for, time pops up everywhere in this one.

• Lines 1, 6: Let's talk about the force: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away—sorry. We can't help it. Every time we hear "force" we think that force. Thomas, on the other hand, uses force to refer to time. Actually, describing time as "the force" makes a ton of sense. It's powerful, kind of mysterious, and it touches everybody and everything. Hey, that sounds kind of like the other force, too.
• Line 3, 5: Time is described in lots of different ways in this poem. The "destroyer" and the "wintry fever" that make the rose crooked and steal the speaker's youth are—you guessed it—time metaphors. By describing time as "wintry," it gives us all the cold, barren associations that go along with winter—a time when everything's dead. "Fever" gives us the sense of time as a kind of illness. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this one.
• Line 10: Surprise, surprise—here's another time metaphor (with personification thrown in for good measure). That "sucking mouth" at the end of stanza two is our old pal, time. You're probably asking yourself, "What's the deal, Dylan? Why so many time metaphors?" Well, by using so many time metaphors, Thomas creates the impression that time is everywhere—in the seasons (wintry fever) and in the human form (sucking mouth). These metaphors help the reader get a clear sense of the complex and far-reaching power of the force-time.
• Line 11: "The hand" doing all that whirling and stirring is also a time metaphor. This continues the personification of time that began in the second stanza with that sucking mouth. By giving time a body, it makes the force somehow more accessible. We have something to picture instead of just this mysterious force. It makes the force more personal and therefore more relatable.
  
  This personification also allows for a more spiritual-religious reading of the poem. We've all heard phrases like "the hand of God" referring to God's power and ability to touch and control every aspect of the natural and the metaphysical realms. God's power and the power of the force-time have lots in common. The personification emphasizes that connection.
• Lines 16, 20: In the fourth stanza, Thomas finally just calls time "time." No more "whirling hands" or "sucking mouths" as stand-ins. But our boy Dylan can't seem to let go of the personification. The "lips of time" are what drain away youth and vitality in this stanza. Here again, by using personification Thomas makes time's power and impact easier for the reader to see and experience. It also makes the descriptions far more dramatic. We'd probably stop reading if Thomas just said, "Time is, like, super-powerful and responsible for life and death," over and over again. Thank goodness for figurative language. The metaphors and the personification are part of what make this a surprising, interesting, and exciting poem to read. Right?