'Humanity In Carl Perkins's Poem Anywhere'

The narrator of the poem “Anywhere” is a man of art and sensuality; he makes a living by selling pictures and reminisces about his sex life, characterized by the raucous of a train whistle. As his lustfulness and impulses guide him, the narrator’s lifestyle derives from art, with a song by Carl Perkins motivating him to live a “dangerous” life (Matanle and Ankerson). Equally important are the poem’s visuals of a naked woman, symbolizing the lasciviousness of her relationship with the narrator (Matanle and Ankerson). Through the idiosyncratic use of visual and auditory elements, “Anywhere” demonstrates that those who live for brief thrills ultimately suffer from painful nostalgia. The relationship between the narrator and the woman serves as the beginning of the narrator’s “dangerous” lifestyle, with the music increasing in intensity when he describes sex with the woman (Matanle and Ankerson). To continue the symbolic affair, a red flash of the woman’s “flaming …show more content…
Clearly missing the relationship, the narrator yearns to revive it or have it ‘regain consciousness’, as if the relationship “were in a coma” (Matanle and Ankerson). Such forlorn feelings towards the relationship show that the lust and love still remain, but the woman is no longer a present part of the narrator’s life. Like the beginning of the poem, the pictures of the woman will be sold to those who, “had to know if it was true” (Matanle and Ankerson). Using art and hedonism to mold his experiences, the narrator of “Anywhere” is one who suffers from a longing for his past. The narrator’s relationship with the woman brings momentary love and adventure, but the brevity of the relationship renders him incapable of burying his affair in the past. With the use of visual and auditory components, “Anywhere” captures the pain of those who live for the brief moments of