The poet uses an extended metaphor by likening the country of Canada to an adolescent boy.

The positive aspects are expressed as robust physical health, excellence "at sports," and the appearance of moral rectitude with "church on Sunday" while keeping sexuality "stealthy." Though not especially literary in his tastes, he likes books "about bears," suggesting an adventurous and boyish spirit.

The negative aspects are expressed by the fact that he is controlled by Uncle Sam, symbolizing the United States, who bribes him but denies him a voice in formal matters of state. He lacks his own singular, consolidated identity because he is a hybrid of France and Britain and has a powerful neighbor, the United States.

The poem ends with the open question of whether the country can "grow up" and form its own identity, thus forging its own power independent of outside pressures.