The Red Wheelbarrow

The Red Wheelbarrow - fact Summary

Objectivist Focus on the Ordinary

Published in 1923 in Spring and All, "The Red Wheelbarrow" exemplifies William Carlos Williams's Objectivist aesthetic. The poem concentrates on a single, ordinary scene—a red wheelbarrow glazed with rain beside white chickens—and uses plain, concrete diction to insist that attention to everyday particulars yields meaning. It reflects Williams's commitment to direct observation and to finding significance in common American life rather than in abstract statement.