Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

Answer the following question related to the passage titled "Mother to Son": What is the 'crystal stair' symbolic of within the poem?

Group of answer choices

An easy, smooth, beautiful life

A see-through life

A delicate, breakable life

A dirty, dingy life

In this poem, the image of the crystal stair is used to convey the idea of an easy, smooth, beautiful life. This is because crystal stairs are not only beautiful, but they also represent an easy, safe way to move. Instead, the mother describes her life as a stair with tacks, splinters, boards torn up, dark and lacking carpet on the floor. These images convey the opposite image of the crystal stair, indicating that the speaker's life has been very difficult.