Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Wendell Berry's "Going" is a poignant meditation on the transition from life to death, employing the metaphor of a city's lights going out to capture the gradual dimming of life force within the human body. Through this imagery, Berry explores the inevitable journey towards death, the interplay between the physical and the mental, and the ultimate release of the mind from its mortal coil.

The poem begins by likening the human body to a "city, lighted," a vibrant entity full of energy and resistance against the encroaching darkness. This comparison illuminates the idea that, much like a city with its bustling activity and illuminated windows, the body is a hub of life and consciousness, actively engaging with the world around it. The lights, representative of life's activities, thoughts, and sensations, burn brightly against the backdrop of the dark, symbolizing the vitality and resilience of the human spirit.

However, Berry quickly introduces the notion of an "irresistible darkening," suggesting that despite the body's efforts to resist, the pull towards death is a natural, unavoidable force. The imagery of the body's lights going out one by one captures the process of decline and the extinguishing of life's energies. The comparison of this dimming to an "itch somewhere igniting and dwindling like a flare" evokes the transient, fleeting nature of human existence, each life a brief spark in the vastness of time.

The transformation of each extinguished light into a bat that "wakes to the night, turns loose and flies outward and high, black into black" is a powerful metaphor for the liberation of the soul or consciousness from the physical confines of the body. Bats, creatures of the night, symbolize the transition from the known to the unknown, from the visible realm of life to the invisible domain of death. This imagery suggests a release, a freedom from the physical limitations and sufferings of the body, as the essence of the being merges with the vast, impenetrable darkness.

Finally, the poem concludes with the mind's release, "from the last of its beacons." This line signifies the moment of death, when consciousness itself is extinguished, or perhaps transformed, leaving behind the physical world and its attachments. Berry's use of the word "goes" is open-ended, inviting contemplation on the nature of consciousness after death—whether it dissolves into nothingness or transitions into another state of being.

"Going" is a profound reflection on mortality, capturing the beauty and sorrow of the human condition. Wendell Berry masterfully uses the metaphor of a city's fading lights to explore the themes of life, death, and the unknown, inviting readers to confront the universal experience of dying with a sense of wonder, acceptance, and the possibility of transcendence. Through its evocative imagery and contemplative tone, the poem offers a serene, almost mystical perspective on the final journey, emphasizing the naturalness of death and the potential liberation it entails.

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