For me, “The Little Girl Lost” and “The Little Girl Found”
are the two most intriguing poems in this collection. In them, the reader
follows a young girl’s journey through what I interpret to be a simultaneous
loss of innocence and gain in religious knowledge. Lyca wonders about on her
own for the first time, signifying that she is growing out of total dependence
on her parents and beginning to embark on personal endeavors. In this aspect we
see her innocence deteriorating, a process that culminates in her questionable interaction
with the lion at the end of the first poem.
Through Lyca’s loss of innocence we also watch her find
religion. Perhaps Blake is communicating that one cannot know religion until he
or she has experienced sin. The number seven appears in both poems, once for
Lyca’s age and another to tell how many nights her parents sleep in the jungle.
The incorporation of this biblically relevant number—the seven deadly
sins—suggests that Lyca’s growth from innocence exposes her to a world of sin
she must touch before truly knowing religion. The trust conveyed toward the
lion by all parties by the end of the poem reflects that of the comfort one
takes in the presence of God.
How do you view death within the poem? I interpret the ending of Little Girl Found to be her death and ultimately the simultaneous death of her parents. Blake argues that the loss of innocence essentially equates to losing one's life because without innocence, one cannot really appreciate living because they are aware of their ultimate fate, also death. I guess I wonder how you developed your interpretation of the poem
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