The narrator recounts the many numbers of times when he and his secret teenage lover Doris Holbrook had a rendezvous in old car wreckage. He is reliving the days at the long Cherrylog Road. It forms the setting that the narrator is dwelling on and traversing. Passion and compassion run in this poem due to the poet’s involvement with the teenage girl although there is some anxiety considering that he involved himself with an underage girl which is immoral. Love and blossoming sexuality lead to decisions by the two people in a relationship that might affect their livelihoods negatively or positively. The poet applies the theme of love and blooming compassion through symbolism, imagery and free verse in the poem Cherrylog Road.
The application of the free verse in this poem is vital. For instance, there is irregular rhyme pattern in the poems leading to the perception of poem as a free verse. It provides room for the analysis of the personification, symbolism, imagery, and language applied. The free verse as involved in this poem shows the narrator’s intent to show the society the kind of love and passion and the need to perceive love as imagination and symbolism rather than a situation of artistic expression and attractiveness. Also, the free verse contributes to the idea that the poet intends to show a dull but repetitive part of the theme. Since the love between Dickey, the narrator, and Doris is unapproved due to the age gap, there is an aspect of somber in the process of this love. The austere future between these two lovers due to the societal issues contributed to the poet’s application of this verse to narrate his pessimism. The love between two people has various drawbacks. Age and the societal expectations are the stumbling blocks towards the peaceful sharing of compassion between the narrator and Doris. Also, the 108 lines in this poem devoid of the rhythm contribute to the pessimism of this love. Although it is blossoming at the moment, its future is inevitable due to the age gap and parental interference.
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Symbolism is a style applied by the poet to narrate compassion. The application of the wrecked automobiles shows the passage of time. The love between Dickey and Doris and the age factor is a point of concern since it contributes to moral decadence. The wrecked automobiles also symbolize the effects of the sexual encounter that Dickey creates to secure the emotional attachment. The lines, 11-12, “ A blue Chevrolet, and releasing” and “the rust from its other color”, present the perfect description of the passage of time that contributes to the wear and tear. Like love, the passage of time with social issues such as lack of consent from the parents and the entire societies’ perception of the unapproved relationship will contribute to its demise. Since these cars are now a memory and useless in society, the blossoming compassion between Dickey and Doris will wither and pass with the passing time. The application of such a symbol proves the presentation and description of the theme of love and blossoming compassion.
The Cherrylog itself is a symbol of a hopeless but blossoming passion between the narrator and Doris. The abandonment of the wrecked cars and the description of the setting and the junkyard show the illegal aspect of this compassion. Although there is some level of optimism since Doris eludes her cruel father to meet up with the love of her life, the setting symbolizes the illegal aspect of the meeting. It shows the submission and suicidal compassion that Dickey is about to experience in his quest to realize an emotional attachment. Also, the junkyard is a sign of the withering aspect of this blossoming love due to the societal perception of the age gap between these two lovers. Since rust presents a senile and abandoned item, the meet up in this setting full of rusty automobiles reflects on the bleak and rusty future of this relationship. Although there is love and compassion between the two lovers, they should the societal attachment and approval is a miss. The situation contributes to the need for understanding the type of compassion and the consideration of the societal factors that might be a detrimental for the blooming love.
Imagery is also a perfect style that develops the theme of love and blossoming compassion. The line, “scrape like a mouse under the southern-state sun (Dickey line 50) shows an aspect of simile. Doris makes a non-energetic sound heading towards her lover Dickey in an abandoned car wreckage backyard referred to as junkyard. The sound by the movement that resembles the stealthy motion of the mouse creates an aspect of eavesdropping where the two lovers are wary of the social environment and the idea that people around might be listening and witnessing to their possible promises. Also, Doris escapes the custody of her father to meet the love of his love. The application of the world like, in that line, is imagery that creates an act of resemblance. The stealthy movement also establishes emptiness in this love but filled with passion such as lovemaking in the back seat of an old car. The application of such a simile represents this love as an illusion since there is no vigor in action between the two lovers due to social expectations. However, there is love between these compassionate couples regardless of the societal setbacks.
Imagery, symbolism and the free verse are, therefore, perfect styles that contribute to the development of love and blossoming relationship between the narrator and Doris. The resemblance of the movement of the mouse to that of Doris shows hopelessness in this affair due to age and lack of parental consent. Also, the societal perception of this affection is a drawback towards blossoming love. Cherrylog road symbolizes the challenges of love. The wrecked automobiles also show the memories that are unapproved love will create in the future after its demise. All these aspects reveal the styles with which the narrator develops the theme of love and blossoming love. Although there are drawbacks in this illicit affair, the submissive perspective Doris and the optimism that Dickey applies explains compassion.
