Pruefer Locke's love songs show that a sentimental and neurotic middle-aged man falls in love with a woman, but lacks the courage to express himself. He hesitates, fears, hesitates and feels inferior. He is afraid of worldly pressure and never dares to take a step. As a result, he became more depressed and self-deprecating in this timid wandering, so that he doubted whether his pursuit of love was "worth doing". Pruefer Locke was a typical anti-hero in western literature in the 20th century. His loneliness, anxiety and fear are actually the common mentality of westerners after World War I.
This poem has always been praised for its imagery, the most famous of which is "The sky is slowly spreading at dusk/as if a patient was anesthetized on the operating table". The word "anesthesia" is used strangely here, which shows the protagonist's listless and depressed state. The yellow smoke image of "rubbing back" and "rubbing mouth" reflects the hero's life without passion.