WANT goes by such a one's door.

Insights

Unbroken Prosperity

The proverb serves as a powerful metaphor for consistent prosperity and good fortune. It suggests that an individual is so financially secure that they are completely untouched by economic hardship, as if protected by an invisible shield.

Endowed by Luck or Fate

It implies a state of being blessed or exceptionally lucky. Want's decision to 'go by' suggests that the person's fortune is not just a matter of effort, but perhaps of fate or divine favor that actively diverts misfortune from them.

Observation of Wealth

The phrase is an observation about social distance and economic disparity. It is a statement made by an outsider about someone's wealth, framing their prosperity as a defining characteristic that sets them apart from the community.

Personification of Fortune

The personification of 'Want' as a traveler who chooses to bypass a specific home transforms poverty from a mere condition into an active force that recognizes and avoids the fortunate. This reflects a folk belief where prosperity is not just an accumulation of assets but a form of protective grace that repels hardship.

Social and Economic Commentary

Originating as a regional English saying from Somerset, the proverb offers a window into the social observations of a rural community. It's a phrase likely used to describe a conspicuously wealthy landowner or merchant, marking them as separate from the common experience of scarcity.

Psychology of Security

The proverb speaks to the deep-seated human desire for a life free from the anxiety of lack. To say 'Want goes by such a one's door' is to describe a state of ultimate security, where the fundamental worries of survival are entirely absent, placing the individual in an almost mythical state of contentment.

Rhetorical Devices

Personification

The abstract concept of 'Want' is given human-like agency, portrayed as a traveler who can choose a path. This makes the idea of poverty more vivid and transforms the statement into a short, allegorical scene.

Metaphor

The 'door' serves as a metaphor for the threshold of a person's life or household. By having Want pass by it, the proverb elegantly symbolizes a life that remains unbreached by hardship.

Indefinite Reference

The phrase 'such a one' is an indefinite pronoun that points to a specific but unnamed person, making the proverb a flexible tool for social commentary that can be applied to anyone deemed fortunate.