Shapiro's "Auto Wreck": Interpretation

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ant and almost unreal. Using metaphors, Shapiro
portrays the fantasy-like auto wreck in which wildness is indispensable.

In addition to Shapiro's use of metaphorical phrases, he emphasizes
the lack of comprehension of the on-lookers as a result of death's
inconsistency with logic. Shapiro directly tells the reader, "We are
deranged." The word "we" symbolizes u s, as a whole institution or better
yet -- society. He goes on further to say, "Our throats were tight as
tourniquets." By this he means that the on-lookers were stopped, almost
speechless, as they gazed upon the wreckage contemplating the reason b
ehind death. Finally, Shapiro writes:

"We speak through sickly smiles and warn
With the stubborn saw of common sense."

What the writer is getting through is that the on-lookers attempted to
rationalize the accident with their common sense. But their "common sense,"
or their logical reasoning ability, was being sawed upon as they continued
to puzzle ...

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