“Ave Maria” Symbol Analysis

In A Long Long Way, the “Ave Maria” hymn symbolizes Willie Dunne’s growth from a young, naïve boy to an older, experienced soldier, which occurs in part as he loses his friends and loved ones. Willie first sings the “Ave Maria”—a Catholic hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary—in a singing competition when he’s a young boy. However, he’s surprised by the unexpected piano interlude that comes between the hymn’s two verses, so he falters during his performance. Willie’s naïve confidence before the competition mirrors his naïve confidence as a new recruit in the British Army at the start of World War I. Just as younger Willie wasn’t prepared for the piano part in the middle of the “Ave Maria,” 18-year-old Willie isn’t prepared for the reality of war. Later, however, Willie performs the “Ave Maria” once more—this time, on the Western Front in front of his fellow soldiers, after he has survived several terrible battles. During this second performance of the hymn, Willie doesn’t hesitate or stumble. His moving rendition of the hymn demonstrates that he has matured during his time at war and has lost his childish ignorance and naivety.

The “Ave Maria” takes on a deeper meaning for Willie as he comes of age, loses his loved ones, and grieves the many lives lost in the war, thereby linking Willie’s coming of age to his experience of grief. When he sings the hymn in a makeshift concert hall on the Western Front, Willie remembers his mother, who liked to hear him sing but who died when he was 11 years old. As he thinks of his mother, his song becomes an expression of love and grief for her. Similarly, when Willie later sings the “Ave Maria” over Jesse Kirwan’s grave, he conveys his brotherly love for Jesse, along with his sorrow that Jesse has been executed. Altogether, Willie’s relationship to the “Ave Maria” hymn suggests that a big part of his coming of age is learning to deal with grief.