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Journey into Darkness and Redemption: Wheeling Motel by Franz Wright

Ian Mitchell

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Published in Wheeling Motel Franz Wright

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Franz Wright's haunting and profoundly evocative collection, Wheeling Motel, is a masterpiece of American poetry that explores the desolate beauty of addiction, loss, and the desperate search for redemption.

In this collection of 50 poems, Wright delves into the underbelly of society, painting vivid and unflinching portraits of characters struggling with addiction, poverty, and despair. Through the lens of these marginalized individuals, Wright exposes the raw wounds of addiction and its devastating toll on both the addicted and their loved ones.

Wheeling Motel

by Franz Wright

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	201 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	113 pages

Wheeling Motel Book Cover Featuring A Photo Of A Motel By A Highway Wheeling Motel Franz Wright

The cover of Wheeling Motel by Franz Wright

Wright's imagery is both stark and lyrical, capturing the bleakness of the motel setting and the emotional turmoil of its inhabitants. In the title poem, "Wheeling Motel," he writes:

All night the rain fell on the tarpaper roof,
the neon light outside my window
making a pink puddle on the wet street below.

The imagery here evokes a sense of isolation and desolation, as the speaker is trapped in a motel room, surrounded by the relentless rain and the artificial glow of the neon light. The "pink puddle" on the street below suggests a faint glimmer of hope amidst the darkness, but it is quickly extinguished by the rain.

Throughout Wheeling Motel, Wright explores the complexities of addiction and its hold on the human psyche. In "The Day Lad Came to Town," he tells the story of a young man named Lad who succumbs to the lure of heroin and quickly spirals downward.

"Boy, it's like the light/ of a thousand suns," Lad says of his first heroin high. But as he becomes addicted, the light turns to darkness, and he becomes a slave to his addiction.

Wright's poems are not only indictments of addiction but also explorations of the human condition. He shows us that even in the darkest of circumstances, there is always hope for redemption. In "My Father's Body," he writes about his own father's struggle with alcoholism and his eventual recovery.

We stand at the sink in the glow of the kitchen light and I wash my father's body.
I sing to him the old song
he used to sing to me.

The act of washing his father's body becomes a ritual of healing and forgiveness, and the speaker finds solace in the old song they used to sing together. Through the act of caring for his father, the speaker rediscovers the love and connection that had been lost.

Franz Wright's Wheeling Motel is a powerful and unforgettable collection of poems that confronts the darkness of addiction and the possibility of redemption. Through his vivid imagery and unflinching honesty, Wright gives voice to the marginalized and exposes the raw wounds of the human condition. This is a book that will haunt you long after you finish reading it.

Why You Should Read Wheeling Motel

It's a masterpiece of American poetry. Wright is one of the most acclaimed poets of our time, and Wheeling Motel is considered one of his finest works.
It's a powerful and moving exploration of addiction and its devastating effects. Wright's poems give voice to the marginalized and expose the raw wounds of the human condition.
It's a story of hope and redemption. Even in the darkest of circumstances, there is always hope for redemption, and Wright's poems show us that.

Free Download Your Copy Today

Franz Wright's Wheeling Motel is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. You can Free Download your copy today from Our Book Library, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookstore.

Wheeling Motel

by Franz Wright

5 out of 5