In Life, Many People Don T Realize How Easily Controlled They Are by Outside Forces

In life, many people don’t realize how easily controlled they are by outside forces. This is the theme in the poem The Cage Walker by Yusef Komunyakaa. The cage walker is about a man who, being controlled by multiple forces, is influenced to behave in numerous ways and carry this plan to rob a store.

To support this theme, night is one of the many things that influence this man. “Night takes him like a conveyer belt” is an example of this. In the story, the conveyer belt, being a machine that goes one way, is showing that by letting night control him, there is no turning back. Moreover, night symbolizes some dark force that foreshadows what type of influence it will have on him.

In addition, the August heat is another factor that influences him. “They say that August is a good time for a man to go crazy” is a quote that can support this. When viewing August as the one of the hottest times of the year, it is easily shown that the humidity makes thing unbearable for some causing them to be hot tempered. This demonstrates how the August heat was able to control this man and make him lose himself in the heat of the moment.

One of the final things that influence this man is a lady in a red dress. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, aw shit. A women walks pass and smiles. Her red dress turns the corner like the blood in a man’s eyes” is a part of the story that upholds the theme. When considering the color red as a form of sexual attraction, one can see how this red dress can be distracting to a man. As shown, he is focused in count the cars that pass by until this women in a red dress shows up. The man is already distracted by this woman but when adding the red dress to the situation, it’s nearly impossible to ignore that the red dress is yet another force controlling this man.

These examples are not the only thing that sustain the theme; there other motifs that additionally support the theme. “Ships rock in the white foghorn silence” is a small motif that encourages the theme. It shows how the waves are in control of the way the ships will move. “He stands under a street lamp. Moths float by…” is another motif that supports the theme. The light is an attraction between the moths and the lamps that shows how the light is in control of the moths. In both motifs, one thing is always in control of the other, which implies how things are powerless over outside forces.

Furthermore, people or objects are not always in control of themselves and over powered by outside forces. This is something that can not be stopped, let alone controlled. Either way, some of these forces can bring numerous amounts of joy while others bring destruction and pain into our lives.