The primary poetic device in the poem is imagery, which helps the reader understand the characterization of the farmhand. The author's description of the farmhand's ungentlemanly appearance allows the reader to visualize the character, and this visualization is necessary for the reader to understand the main conflict of the poem. For example, as the farmhand smokes and watches the actions on the dance floor, he knows that his "red sunburnt face" and "hairy hands" are not meant for the life of a lover.

This understanding is made clear to the farmhand by the women he sees moving across the room. Their movements are graceful and fluid, and the author shows this by using a simile to describe them. He says that the women are "drifting like flowers." The contrast between the sophistication of the women and the farmhand's rough and unrefined appearance helps the reader see how alienated the farmhand feels from this romantic lifestyle.

The author also uses personification to reveal that the farmhand secretly longs for a love of his own. For example, the author states that the farmhand has "awkward hopes" and "envious dreams" of the love that he sees all around him. This personification adds to the character's complexity and helps create sympathy in the reader for his man who feels he will never enjoy the bliss of love.