Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Jack Gilbert's poem "Going Wrong" captures the profound existential struggle between a man's chosen solitude and the divine critique of his lifestyle. The poem is rich with vivid imagery and dialogic tension, exploring themes of isolation, human purpose, and the search for meaning in a self-imposed exile.

The poem opens with a striking image of fish being brought up the mountain: "The fish are dreadful. They are brought up / the mountain in the dawn most days, beautiful / and alien and cold from night under the sea." This description sets a tone of unease, juxtaposing the fish's inherent beauty with a sense of dread and alienation. The "grand rooms fading from their flat eyes" evokes the lost splendor of their underwater world, now reduced to lifelessness.

The man reflects on the nature of the fish: "Soft machinery of the dark, the man thinks, / washing them." This metaphor highlights the delicate, intricate nature of the fish, now exposed and vulnerable. It also introduces the central tension of the poem between the man's inner thoughts and an implied divine presence.

The dialogue with the Lord begins abruptly, emphasizing the man's internal conflict: "'What can you know of my machinery!' / demands the Lord. Sure, the man says quietly / and cuts into them, laying back the dozen struts, / getting to the muck of something terrible." The Lord's challenge questions the man's understanding of creation and existence. The man's quiet, resigned response as he dissects the fish suggests a deep resignation and acceptance of his actions and choices.

The Lord continues to challenge the man's way of life: "'You are the one who chooses / to live this way. I build cities where things / are human. I make Tuscany and you go to live / with rock and silence.'" This passage contrasts the vibrancy and human connectivity of cities like Tuscany with the man's chosen isolation in a harsh, silent environment. The divine critique underscores the man's deliberate separation from society and the warmth of human interaction.

As the man prepares a meal, the tension between his actions and the Lord's admonitions becomes more palpable: "The man washes away / the blood and arranges the fish on a big plate. / Starts the onions in the hot olive oil and puts / in peppers." The mundane task of cooking becomes a symbolic act of defiance and self-sufficiency. The Lord's voice persists: "'You have lived all year without women.'"

The man's continued preparations—slicing tomatoes and lemons, scrambling eggs—are performed in quiet reflection: "'No one knows where you are. People forget you. / You are vain and stubborn.'" The man’s solitary culinary ritual contrasts with the divine reproach, emphasizing his isolation and the stark reality of his existence.

In the poem's final moments, the man lays the food on the table in a sunlit courtyard: "I am not stubborn, he thinks, / laying all of it on the table in the courtyard / full of early sun, shadows of swallows flying / on the food. Not stubborn, just greedy." The man's internal declaration—"Not stubborn, just greedy"—reveals a complex self-awareness. His greed is not for material wealth or social acclaim but for a life lived on his own terms, however isolating and challenging that might be.

"Going Wrong" by Jack Gilbert is a meditation on the choices that lead one away from societal norms and into solitary existence. Through the interplay of vivid imagery and internal dialogue, Gilbert explores the tension between human desires for connection and the allure of self-imposed isolation. The poem invites readers to reflect on the nature of fulfillment and the personal costs of living authentically according to one's principles.

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