The Speaker
Much like the speaker in "Sea Rose" and H.D.'s other poems about sea flowers, the speaker in "Sea Violet" introduces both a traditional flower and the "sea" version. She notes the fragility, frailty, and hardship of the sea flower, implying that its tough circumstances contribute to its value. The speaker believes that people will, or should, find the sea flower worth more than the traditional flower. If the sea violet is a metaphor for femininity or the female subject, the speaker is making a bold feminist claim that the value of women comes from their resilience, bravery, and experiences, rather than their beauty or aesthetic superiority. The final stanza shows the deep admiration and respect the speaker feels for the sea violet, or the woman represented by the sea violet. This flower (or woman) has become frail from hardship or oppression, but maintains the gleam of frost, and the potency, intensity, and splendor of a star.
The Blue Violet
Although the blue violets are described as "greater" than the white sea violets, presumably the speaker only means in size, color, or aesthetic perfection. As the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the speaker favors the white violets because they have mixed with the elements and demonstrated their inherent rigor and resilience. The poem's final lines indicate that the blue violets represent a femininity or female subject that is valued for beauty, wholesomeness, freshness, and staying in one's appropriate place. Within this paradigm, a cluster of these blue violets, or the standard ideals of femininity in culture, are not worth nearly as much as just one sea violet, or one female subject who defies such ideals.
The Sea Violet
The white violet or sea violet is worn down and still facing relentless wind and agitating forces at the ocean's edge—a symbol for the modern woman like H.D., who demands acknowledgment for her substance and strength, and not her freshness, purity, or beauty. Like the many women who maintain their spark, their drive, and their resilience amidst hardship, the sea violet perseveres and poignantly catches the light.
