Comparing Poems 'Adultery And Leaving The Motel'

Motel rooms hold hundreds of stories and secrets, whether good or bad, within their walls. James Dickey’s “Adultery” and W.D. Snodgrass’s “Leaving the Motel,” are two different poems about a couple leaving their own sinful secret behind in a motel. Although both poems deal with the theme of married men and women involved in sexual affairs, the couples have different relationships regarding how the man truly feels toward the woman. The points of view, relationship between the couples, symbols within the motel rooms, and the role of guilt in both poems completely contrast from each other.
Both poems are dramatic monologues, meaning that the poems are written as a monologue spoken by a single character’s point of view. Throughout the monologue, the character speaking reveals his thoughts and feelings while also

First off, in “Leaving the Motel,” the man and women have obviously planned their night out together very carefully. The poem is almost like a checklist because the man asks the woman to check that everything in the motel room is back in place and none of their keepsakes are left behind. The language he uses toward her seems to be gentle and calm. Besides sleeping together, there is also evidence that they went out and spent quality time with each other. The man says, “Leave in their vase An aspirin to preserve Our lilacs, the wayside flowers we’ve gathered and must leave to serve A few more hours”(26-31) The flowers imply that the couple must have a more caring, loving relationship outside of just having sex. In the end, the man implies that someday they will come back someday, but they will have to change their identities again like they had to do the first time. He says, “We can’t tell when We’ll come back, can’t press claims. We would no doubt have other rooms then, Or other