The word choice in “The Freeman” by Ellen Glasgow is purposeful. She calls herself a vagabond: a person who wanders from place to place without a home or job. She says “Hope is a slave; Despair is a freeman.’”. This a metaphor saying when you want to keep someone captive you give them a sense of hope so they continue to do what they are doing. Despair is a freeman because when someone has no hope or nothing to lose they can do anything. The theme of this is, When things all hope is lost it is the ultimate reason to persevere. This poem also displays naturalism because as a vagabond she fears no terror. By this she means she can do anything by the freedom of despair Which is acknowledging the role of society in forming the individual.