The Mystery of the Caves

          Throughout the poem “The Mystery of the Caves” by Michael Waters, there is a direct parallel between the imagery created of a male hero entering a mysterious cave and the narrator’s “domestic situation.” Waters utilizes the many aspects of being lost, such as being scared, or confused and also hope however small it may be, to compare with the narrator’s dilemma.

            A boy lost in a dark cavern symbolizes the narrator’s own confusion in trying to deal with his own personal predicament. Just as “the boy found it impossible to see/ which passage led to safety” the narrator does not know what to do in his situation. No matter what the narrator does, it does not provide closure for him and he is scared of the many outcomes that might occur. As a result, he becomes completely encumbered with fear similar to a child “hero” in an unknown cave with many dark paths.

            In almost every situation there is always a glimmer of hope and for the narrator that was symbolized with the “one yellow finger of flame.” The flame provides a type of light and warmth however it is small. The flame “wavered on his last match” and the boy tries to keep it going. This can symbolize the narrator trying to keep “sane” despite his parents’ constant arguing. He is trying to hold on to this small “flame” of sanity so that he will not become what his parents are. That is his hope that he is trying to hold onto.

            In the end the narrator worries that his childhood problems and fears will surface once again. He hears his childhood self who had suffered through his parent’s constant fighting. However, he knows that it is all over with he had survived and his hopes prevailed. He escaped the mysterious caves.