Seamus Heaney’s 'Follower': Themes of Admiration, Identity and Change

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Added: 29.01.2026 at 11:18

Exploring the Themes of Admiration, Identity, and Change in Seamus Heaney’s *Follower*

Seamus Heaney stands as a towering figure in twentieth-century poetry, especially within the literary tradition of Ireland and the wider United Kingdom. Born in County Derry, Northern Ireland, Heaney’s early works resonate deeply with the landscapes, customs, and identities forged in rural Irish life. Amongst his most admired poems from his debut collection, *Death of a Naturalist* (1966), is *Follower*—an evocative, multi-layered reflection on family, legacy, and personal identity. The poem is often praised for the way it weaves together memories of the poet’s boyhood admiration for his father, a mastery of farming, and the organic changes time brings to relationships.

Throughout *Follower*, Heaney develops several interconnected themes: the idealisation of the father as an emblem of natural expertise, the yearning and struggle of the son to emulate such skill, and the poignant motif of change as patterns of influence reverse over time. By employing rich imagery, a carefully structured form, and economical yet powerful language, Heaney explores the enduring interplay of admiration, selfhood, and generational transition. This essay will consider how these elements combine in *Follower* to create a moving exploration of family bonds and personal transformation, firmly rooted in the rural Irish experience yet universally relatable.

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I. Representation of the Father’s Skill and Power

The depiction of the father’s “shoulders globed like a full sail strung” invites the reader to see him not merely as a man but as a veritable force of nature—his back swelling with power, reminiscent of old sailing ships navigating vast waters. The simile not only elevates the act of ploughing to something heroic but also evokes the wider context of Irish farmers as linchpins of rural society. In the context of mid-twentieth-century Ireland, where agricultural skill was both a means of sustenance and a point of communal pride, the father’s command over the land is weighted with cultural significance.

Heaney emphasises not just physicality, but expertise. The brief, almost abrupt assertion, “An expert,” stands on a line by itself, underscoring the absolute mastery the father holds over his craft. Irish farming, requiring unwavering attention to detail and years of accumulated knowledge, becomes in Heaney’s hands a form of artistry. The close attention to the “wing” and “shaft,” the gentle control of massive horses, and the straightness of the furrow are labours demanding both physical strength and subtle finesse.

Moreover, the poem signals a harmonious relationship between man and nature. The father is not depicted as dominating the land through brute force, but as working in concert with it—his expertise allowing for a kind of synchrony with the horses and the earth itself. In a time and place where success was measured by the yield of the fields, such quiet command spoke not just to individual prowess but to the continuity and dignity of community life.

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II. The Son’s Perspective and Admiration

Heaney’s use of imagery from a child’s vantage point adds a layer of innocence and aspiration. The boy is “tripping, falling, yapping always” in the “broad shadow” cast by his father, suggesting both physical clumsiness and the psychological sense of falling short. The contrast between the confident lines describing the father and the hesitancy of the son’s movements is stark, reinforcing the vast gulf, real or imagined, between mastery and apprenticeship.

The notion of “following” operates on both literal and metaphorical planes. On the surface, the young Heaney trudges after his father in the furrowed fields, stepping where the older lines have already been drawn. Beneath this, there is the almost universal wish, familiar to readers from diverse backgrounds across the UK and Ireland, to “follow in one’s father’s footsteps”—to learn, emulate, perhaps one day match or even surpass the older generation’s accomplishments. Yet, the son’s efforts are met with frustration; the weight of expectation and the impossibility of seamless imitation are gently but keenly felt.

Here, Heaney begins to draw attention to the process by which identity is shaped. The poem does not simply describe a longing for skill, but rather gestures towards the way in which such longing is foundational: the son’s sense of self is, at least in this moment, defined in relation to his father’s excellence. The shadow the father casts is both inspiring and daunting, and the poem suggests an early stage in the difficult journey towards selfhood—a theme with poignant resonance for students and readers navigating their own paths.

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III. Structural and Linguistic Devices Highlighting Relationships and Themes

Within this structure, enjambment and careful use of line breaks serve to propel the poem forward, mimicking both the steady movement of ploughing and the sometimes stumbling attempts of the son to keep up. Sentences often flow across lines, echoing the furrow’s unbroken course and the continuity of tradition. This intertwining of content and form strengthens the poem’s impact.

Heaney relies on a palette of metaphors and similes to build his father's image—references to navigation and ship imagery, for instance, root the father’s labour in a tradition as old and storied as Ireland’s own history. The use of concise, emphatic wording, such as “An expert,” insists on the father’s innate authority. The poem’s rhythm—occasional heavy beats, repetition, and even alliteration in phrases like “stumbled in his hob-nailed wake”—reproduces the sounds of heavy boots on turned soil, further anchoring the scene in sensory reality.

Crucially, the tone of the poem shifts subtly as it progresses. What begins as unmediated admiration acquires increasing complexity: there is both pride and pain in the child’s inability to match the father, and hints of future uncertainty.

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IV. Themes of Change and Role Reversal

This reversal has a dual significance. On one level, it gestures towards the biological and emotional realities of ageing. No longer the invincible master of the fields, the father becomes dependent—his son now leading, just as he once followed. This is a universal motif, felt in families across the UK and the world; the idealised parent, once a figure of certainty and support, grows vulnerable, and the dynamics of care and guidance shift.

Equally, there is an implied divergence—Heaney does not become a farmer, but a poet, and yet still feels the weight of his father’s influence. The poem captures the bittersweet inevitability of growing into and, ultimately, away from those we most admire. The tension between tradition and change, between loyalty to legacy and forging one’s own path, is palpable.

Perhaps most moving is the sense of continuity even as roles invert. The poem acknowledges the pain of change, the sorrow of watching once-vigorous parents fade, but also affirms the persistence of connection—the way past and present, tradition and individuality, remain forever entwined.

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V. Personal and Cultural Resonance

More broadly, farming assumes symbolic significance in Irish culture. It is at once an economic necessity, a marker of social class, and a repository of tradition. In *Follower,* farming is not merely a backdrop, but a living link between individuals and their shared pasts—a heritage both to treasure and, for some, to transcend.

Heaney’s poem thus speaks simultaneously to intensely personal experience and to wider cultural realities. It distils a child’s awe, the struggle to grow, and the poignancy of watching one’s parents age into a lyrical meditation that transcends its rural Irish setting.

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Conclusion

In its exploration of these themes, *Follower* speaks to readers far beyond its setting, inviting reflection on the nature of familial ties and the processes by which we come both to honour and reshape our inheritances. With a quiet but profound empathy, the poem suggests that change, even when painful, is both inevitable and formative—a message as resonant in the contemporary United Kingdom as in the rural Ireland of Heaney’s youth. Ultimately, *Follower* prompts each of us to consider our own place within the living chain of influence and affection, watching as we move, tentatively or assuredly, from one role to the next.