“Icarus” by Edward Field: A Critical Review

Introduction: “Icarus” by Edward Field

“Icarus” by Edward Field published in his 1963 collection Stand Up, Friend, With Me, offers a subversive reimagining of the classic Greek myth. Field departs from traditional interpretations of Icarus’s fall as a consequence of reckless ambition, instead portraying a nuanced exploration of longing, the complexities of freedom, and the repercussions of challenging societal limitations. This fresh perspective invites readers to re-examine the enduring symbolism and themes of the Icarus myth.

Text: “Icarus” by Edward Field

Only the feathers floating around the hat
Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred
Than the usual drowning. The police preferred to ignore
The confusing aspects of the case,
And the witnesses ran off to a gang war.
So the report filed and forgotten in the archives read simply
“Drowned,” but it was wrong: Icarus
Had swum away, coming at last to the city
Where he rented a house and tended the garden.
“That nice Mr. Hicks” the neighbors called,
Never dreaming that the gray, respectable suit
Concealed arms that had controlled huge wings
Nor that those sad, defeated eyes had once
Compelled the sun. And had he told them
They would have answered with a shocked,
uncomprehending stare.
No, he could not disturb their neat front yards;
Yet all his books insisted that this was a horrible mistake:
What was he doing aging in a suburb?
Can the genius of the hero fall
To the middling stature of the merely talented?
And nightly Icarus probes his wound
And daily in his workshop, curtains carefully drawn,
Constructs small wings and tries to fly
To the lighting fixture on the ceiling:
Fails every time and hates himself for trying.
He had thought himself a hero, had acted heroically,
And dreamt of his fall, the tragic fall of the hero;
But now rides commuter trains,
Serves on various committees,
And wishes he had drowned.

Annotations: “Icarus” by Edward Field

Lines	Professional Annotation
Only the feathers floating around the hat / Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred	The juxtaposition of the mundane “hat” with “spectacular” emphasizes the discrepancy between the potential grandeur of Icarus’ story and its unremarkable aftermath.
Than the usual drowning. The police preferred to ignore / The confusing aspects of the case,	“Usual drowning” highlights indifference to individual tragedy, while the police represent a desire to maintain order by dismissing the extraordinary.
And the witnesses ran off to a gang war. / So the report filed and forgotten in the archives read simply	The juxtaposition of the witnesses’ actions with bureaucratic efficiency reinforces how exceptional events are quickly subsumed into the mundane.
“Drowned,” but it was wrong: Icarus / Had swum away, coming at last to the city	The assertive tone challenges the official record, emphasizing the mythic dimension of Icarus’ survival and its conflict with ordinary life.
Where he rented a house and tended the garden. / “That nice Mr. Hicks” the neighbors called,	The contrast between the mundane life and the hidden identity of “Mr. Hicks” hints at the suppressed potential within Icarus.
Never dreaming that the gray, respectable suit / Concealed arms that had controlled huge wings	The “gray suit” symbolizes conformity, concealing the extraordinary physical power Icarus once embodied.
Nor that those sad, defeated eyes had once / Compelled the sun. And had he told them	The shift to past tense emphasizes the lost glory. “Compelled the sun” evokes a mythic power now out of Icarus’s reach.
They would have answered with a shocked, / uncomprehending stare. No, he could not disturb their neat front yards;	The anticipated reaction of the neighbors underscores Icarus’ isolation and the mundane values of his current environment.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “Icarus” by Edward Field

Literary/Poetic Device	Explanation	Example from “Icarus”
Alliteration	Repetition of consonant sounds for emphasis and effect	“sad, defeated sun”
Allusion	Reference to a well-known person, event, or work	The entire poem is an allusion to the Greek myth of Icarus.
Anaphora	Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of lines	“And had he told them / They would have answered…”
Contrast	Juxtaposition of opposing ideas to highlight differences	“rented a house and tended the garden” vs. “arms that had controlled huge wings”
Diction	Word choice, creating specific tone and mood	“usual drowning,” “confusing aspects,” “neat front yards”
Enjambment	A line break in the middle of a sentence or phrase	“the neighbours called, / Never dreaming…”
Hyperbole	Exaggeration for emphasis	“Compelled the sun”
Imagery	Sensory language to create vivid mental pictures	“gray, respectable suit”
Irony	Discrepancy between expectation and reality	Icarus, the mythic hero, now “Serves on various committees”
Metaphor	Implied comparison between dissimilar things	The police report is a metaphor for suppressing extraordinary truths
Personification	Giving human qualities to objects or ideas	“books insisted”
Repetition	Repeating words or phrases for emphasis	“Drowned…drowned”
Simile	Comparison using “like” or “as”	The witnesses’ focus on the gang war is implicitly compared to Icarus’s flight being ignored.
Symbolism	An object or image representing a larger idea	The wings symbolize Icarus’ ambition and past power.
Tone	The author’s attitude towards the subject	The tone shifts from matter-of-fact to melancholic to critical.

Themes: “Icarus” by Edward Field

1. The Dissonance Between the Mythic and the Mundane: Icarus, a figure of ambition and transcendence, ultimately finds himself trapped in a life of conformity and mediocrity. This contrast is evident in the juxtaposition of images like “huge wings” concealed by a “gray, respectable suit,” and the shift from compelling the sun to serving on committees.
2. The Suppression of the Extraordinary: Society, represented by figures like the police and the neighbors, either ignores or dismisses events that challenge the ordinary. The report labeling Icarus’s story as a “usual drowning” symbolizes the erasure of his potential and the suppression of the mythic within the everyday world.
3. The Loss of Identity and Self: Having defied expectations with his daring flight, Icarus is now forced to conceal his true nature. He becomes “Mr. Hicks,” and the eyes that “once compelled the sun” now reflect defeat and isolation. The poem explores the psychological toll and loss of self that comes with assimilation into a world that cannot accept the exceptional.
4. The Disillusionment of the Hero: Field subverts the traditional narrative of the heroic fall. Icarus’s “fall” is not a dramatic death, but a slow fading into anonymity. The poem questions what it means to be a hero in a world that doesn’t value heroism, ultimately suggesting that the true tragedy is not in falling, but in accepting a life devoid of the extraordinary.

Literary Theories and “Icarus” by Edward Field

Literary Theory	Application to “Icarus”	References from the Poem
Mythological Criticism	Examines the poem as a reimagining of the Icarus myth, analyzing its use of archetypes and symbolism.	* Icarus transcends the traditional tragic hero archetype by surviving his fall. * The wings symbolize ambition, flight, and freedom. * The sun could be interpreted as a representation of divinity, aspiration, or destructive power.
Reader-Response Criticism	Focuses on the reader’s individual experience and interpretation of the poem’s themes and emotions.	* Readers might feel empathy for Icarus’s isolation and disillusionment. * The poem could evoke a sense of longing for lost potential or a critique of societal conformity.
New Historicism	Considers the poem within its historical and cultural context (1960s America) to uncover social commentary.	* The poem could be read as a critique of post-WWII suburban conformity. * The emphasis on social order and suppression of the extraordinary might reflect Cold War anxieties.
Psychoanalytic Criticism	Explores the poem’s unconscious desires, psychological conflicts, and hidden symbolism.	* Icarus’s flight could represent a desire to escape limitations and societal expectations. * His self-hatred and renewed attempts to fly could signify an unresolved inner conflict.
Queer Theory	Analyzes how the poem challenges heteronormativity and explores non-traditional identities.	* Icarus’s rejection of societal expectations could be read as a metaphor for marginalized identities and experiences. * The poem’s focus on concealment and hidden desires could resonate with a queer perspective.

Critical Questions about “Icarus” by Edward Field

Literary Works Similar to “Icarus” by Edward Field

Suggested Readings: “Icarus” by Edward Field

Books

• Bloom, Harold, ed. *Edward Field. Bloom’s Modern Critical Views, Chelsea House Publishers, 2005. (Check the contents to see if there’s a chapter analyzing “Icarus”)
• Nelson, Cary. Repression and Recovery: Modern American Poetry and the Politics of Cultural Memory, 1910-1945. University of Wisconsin Press, 1989. (May contain a broader discussion of how modernist poets used myth, which could be applicable to Field’s work.)

Websites

• Poetry Foundation: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ Search for Edward Field and see if they have analysis or commentary on “Icarus.”
• The Academy of American Poets: https://poets.org/ Their resources section may contain essays or articles that touch upon themes relevant to Field’s poem