Mystery of the Caves

In the poem, “The Mystery of the Caves,” a speaker simultaneously tells the story of his home life while recalling a book he has read. It is obvious that the story the speaker has been reading has a connection to his personal life, and this is seen by using certain images and symbols throughout the poem.                       

The story he reads is about a boy who is lost in caverns and surrounded by water, so the narrator wonders if he will succeed in making it to the light, or sink deeper into the caverns. At the same time, he recalls shouting between his parents and the disarray of their room after they fight. Light is used to describe the escape, the light at the end of the tunnel, and the narrator successfully leaving his home. By sinking deeper into the darkness, the narrator will fall farther into the fights that their parents have, and he will become a part of them. He recalls his father grabbing and beating his mother, and he relates with the boy in the story because he cannot breathe.

His mother begins crying, and again the symbol of water reflects life. By crying, the mother does not feel anger anymore towards the father, but only sadness. The speaker feels as if this will depress his mother greatly and cause her to have a different personality. The narrator feels that the boy in the book is still searching underneath the ground for a small piece of light because once he obtains light; it is a sign of hope. As he calls out and screams, the speaker can hear him, feeling as if he is calling to him. This proves how each character relates to one another, because even though they are in completely different situations, their feelings are the same. Both people are lost in a world of fear, one caused by them, one caused by others. Either way, the domestic situation of the speaker reflects the predicament of the lost boy precisely.