Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Flight" is a haunting exploration of longing, disillusionment, and the inevitable realization that some searches end in futility. The poem’s narrative follows the speaker’s drive into the city, propelled by a desperate hope to find someone—likely a lover—only to be met with a series of disappointments and an overwhelming sense of emptiness. The journey through the city at night, with its vivid imagery and evocative language, serves as both a literal and metaphorical representation of the speaker's internal emotional state.

The poem begins with the speaker "thinking that I would find you," an optimistic yet uncertain sentiment that fuels the initial drive. The act of driving into the city, hoping to catch a plane "that goes hourly out of Boston," suggests an urgency and a belief that time is of the essence. The repetition of "I drove into the city" emphasizes the speaker's determination, as well as the solitary, almost ritualistic nature of the journey.

Sexton’s use of imagery paints the night as one imbued with a mix of both ordinary and surreal elements. The speaker imagines that "every thirsty man would have his jug / and that the Negro women would lie down / on pale sheets," images that evoke a sense of universal satisfaction and rest, contrasting sharply with the speaker's own restless quest. The river, described as "stretch[ing] out naturally on its couch," personifies the landscape, giving it a sense of calm and ease that the speaker lacks.

As the speaker drives "through the mist into the city," the details become more specific and vibrant: "rose and violet on the river," "clumps of women in cotton dresses," and "sailboats swinging on their expensive hooks." These images evoke a world that is moving and living, yet disconnected from the speaker's personal turmoil. The river’s colors and the women in dresses suggest beauty and life, but they remain peripheral to the speaker’s solitary mission.

The speaker’s anticipation is underscored by the line, "I was full of letters I hadn't sent you," which symbolizes unexpressed emotions, unresolved communication, and unfulfilled intentions. The red coat and new white gloves, traditionally symbols of preparation and readiness, suggest that the speaker has dressed for an occasion that ultimately doesn’t materialize. The imagery of "dropping through the city / as the river does" further aligns the speaker with the natural flow of the environment, yet there’s an undertone of being swept along by forces beyond her control, hinting at the inevitability of the poem’s conclusion.

As the speaker arrives at the airport, the initial hopefulness gives way to a stark realization. The "night clerk yawned all night at the public," indicating a lack of interest or urgency, while "all flights were grounded," signaling that the journey has come to an abrupt halt. The planes and gulls, usually symbols of flight and freedom, are "heavy and rigid in a pool of glue," metaphorically trapped and immobile, mirroring the speaker’s own sense of being stuck.

The realization that "I would never find you" leads to a retreat, as the speaker drives out of the city, passing by scenes of decay and neglect—"eye and ear infirmaries," "office buildings lined up like dentures," and streetlights that "sucked in all the insects." These images evoke a sense of disintegration and disillusionment, a world that continues to function in a mundane, mechanical way, indifferent to the speaker's personal crisis. The comparison of office buildings to "dentures" implies a kind of lifeless, utilitarian existence, devoid of the passion and urgency that drove the speaker into the city in the first place.

In "Flight," Sexton captures the tension between hope and despair, movement and stasis, desire and disappointment. The journey into the city, fueled by the hope of finding someone, ends in the harsh reality that not all searches lead to fulfillment. The city becomes a symbol of both opportunity and futility, a place where the speaker’s internal desires collide with the external world’s indifference. The poem’s conclusion, with its emphasis on the mundane and the grotesque, reinforces the idea that some pursuits are destined to end in nothingness, leaving the speaker to confront the emptiness of unfulfilled hopes.

The poem resonates with the themes of longing and loss, portraying a world where the search for connection and meaning often leads to isolation and resignation. Sexton’s use of rich, evocative imagery and her ability to convey complex emotions through the landscape of the city make "Flight" a powerful meditation on the human condition, capturing the inevitable tension between the ideal and the real, between what is sought and what is found—or not found—in the journey of life.

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