A Modern Spin of Icarus’ Story, Portraying People Trying Desperately to Succeed in Life
While many people are happy living their routine lives, there are still those who just desperately crave an escape from their daily lives. Edward Field demonstrates this idea in his poem Icarus. Field takes the myth of Daedalus and Icarus and puts a contemporary spin on it. He places Icarus in an urban society and shows his dull life after the events of the myth. Field uses allusion to the Icarus myth and the setting of Mr. Hicks’ (Icarus’) urban life to portray the futile struggles of people who desperately want to succeed in life.
The setting of the poem primarily focuses on Mr. Hicks’ suburban home and life near a city. The poem takes place here because this is the lifestyle for many average people. Mr. Hicks is living his miserable life amongst other ordinary people. This is especially devastating for Mr. Hicks because he so desperately wants to fly away from his menial existence. At the end of the second stanza Mr. Hicks calls his existence “…The middling stature of the merely talented.” While being called talented might be a compliment for most people, it is an appalling insult to Mr. Hicks. This is because Mr. Hicks craves success in his life. The fourth stanza furthers this idea by describing how Icarus “Rides commuter trains” and “Serves on various committees.” This lifestyle is extremely dull and ordinary to Mr. Hicks, who wishes that he can fly away and become successful. The use of setting in this poem establishes the depressing lifestyle of Mr. Hicks and his futile quest for success.
Field also alludes to the Icarus myth many times throughout the poem to add to this idea. Field makes a significant allusion in third stanza where he talks of Mr. Hicks in his workshop. Mr. Hicks “Constructs small wings and tries to fly…Fails every time and hates himself for trying.” Just like Icarus, Mr. Hicks keeps trying to soar to greatness but cannot succeed. Mr. Hicks remains stuck in his small workshop with dreams bigger than himself. Another allusion to the myth occurs in the last stanza where Mr. Hicks “Wishes he had drowned.” This references to when Icarus supposedly drowned at the end of the myth. This is significant because it shows how Mr. Hicks would rather have died than be cursed to his suburban lifestyle. Mr. Hicks is a constant failure and will always be haunted by his distant mythical memories of success. This leads to a fate worse than death for Mr. Hicks. The use of allusion in the poem furthers the idea of Mr. Hicks’ determination and failure to get out of his small workshop.
Edward Field’s poem Icarus provides an interesting follow up to the classical myth of Daedalus and Icarus. He uses setting and allusion to reveal the struggles of those who crave success and glory, but get nothing but failure. This poem will always remain relevant to inspire those who do not desire the same fate as Mr. Hicks.
