Analysis Of Michael Waters 'The Mystery Of The Caves'

In Michael Waters’ poem, “The Mystery of the Caves”, two stories are told: one of a boy lost in a cave, and one of the narrator’s household of domestic violence. The narrator submerges themself in the story of the lost boy, trying to escape from the reality of their home. Through ambiguity of language, Michael Waters’ use of images and symbols blurs the lines between the two stories, and ultimately tells a tale of of how a failed mission can cause anguish within an individual. Waters’ ambiguous language is seen throughout the poem, indicating how the boy uses the story as a safe haven to escape from the violence in his home. This can be seen in the fourth stanza, “blouses torn from their hangers/ the crazy shouting among rooms/ The boy found it impossible to see/ which passage led to safety”. The use of “the boy” in line 15 is ambiguous; blurring the line between the story of the narrator and the lost boy. The use of “the boy” is a symbol for the narrator, as he inserts himself into the story of the boy lost in the caves. Another example of ambiguous language is seen in lines 21-24. The speaker’s father physically abuses his wife, “...my father gripping her/ too tightly by, both arms”. Waters then switches to the
The narrator feels anguish, for not being able to save his family, as seen in the last stanza, “through great volumes of water/through centuries of stone/ crying my name among blind fish/ wanting so much to come home.”. The word ‘crying’ has a connotation to it that indicates failure and anguish. Waters wraps up the poem by encompassing symbols, such as the water, and ambiguous language, blurring the line between the two characters failed journeys. In his poem, “The Mystery of the Caves”, Michael Waters communicates to the reader that a failed mission, especially one that a person so desperately wants to accomplish, can cause immense grief within an