Although love can be strong, sometimes it is not strong enough to withstand the hardest parts of life. Revealing the love that the speaker feels for her daughter in “Little Green,” Joni Mitchell uses warm imagery, familial characterization, and seasonal personification in order to express the trauma and “sorrow” of parting with a child.

            The imagery used throughout the poem can only be described as warm; it alludes to spring. The warm imagery is used to express the trauma of parting with a child when the speaker writes the father a letter, and she tells him that “Her eyes are blue.” Although she must eventually give up her daughter, she cared enough to give the father some information about her, revealing her deeper affection for her daughter. Continuing with the theme of using colors to aid her imagery, the speaker says that her daughter is like “the color when the spring is born.” When spring is born, it is green and colorful and beautiful, suggesting that her daughter is equally beautiful.

            Along with warm imagery, Mitchell uses familial characterization in order to express her feelings. “He’s a non-conformer” articulates to the listeners that the father is one to not follow the rules, and left, despite the wishes of the speaker. Analogous yet unlike the father, the mother figure is “sad” and “sorry,” but “not ashamed.” This proves that unlike her other half, she feels a connection to the child and is sad to let her go, but realizes what is best for her, verifying she is unselfish, unlike the father. Mitchell groups characterization and imagery with seasonal personification to aid her with portraying the speakers love for her daughter.

            “The winters cannot fade her” gives action to the season of winter, suggesting that throughout time the speaker wants her daughter to remain the same and continue to be innocent. Alluding back to winter, “when the Northern lights perform,” she reiterates the importance of remaining the same, paired with the fact that she should not be afraid to be herself. The speaker contrasts the personification of winter to the personification of spring. “When spring is born,” literally, she is suggesting that spring can be born, but figuratively, she is proposing the hopes she has for her daughter’s innocence to prevail through the cold, harsh winter months. Mitchell uses personification in a dual manner to emphasize her point.

            Mitchell uses seasonal personification, familial characterization, and warm imagery in order to convey the trauma and “sorrow” of parting with a child. Joni’s choice may have been the hardest decision in her life; however, everyone has their own traumas and sorrows.