Man
The poem begins with a description of a man—or rather, "Man," seemingly standing in for all of humanity—who is standing, observing the moon's properties. His shadow is no bigger than his hat, and he feels the light of the moon. Bishop is essentially describing an entirely ordinary person, but she uses techniques of magical realism to make his ordinary properties seem as strange and unrecognizable as those of the fictional Man-Moth. In doing so, she helps to create sympathy for the Man-Moth, depicting a surrounding world that is strange and isolating. Moreover, Man is described here as oddly inactive, as if unable to summon the energy or interest to pursue connection at all.
Man-Moth
The Man-Moth is a surreal but vividly depicted figure. Like a real moth, he seeks out sources of light, attempting again and again, despite repeated failures, to reach the moon. He is characterized by a blend of fearfulness and hopefulness, and often seems lost and confused in his surroundings, set apart from the ordinary men around him. When he is not scaling buildings to reach the moon, the Man-Moth lives underground. He moves through a subterranean network of subway cars in a state of isolation, confusion, and fear. This figure is emotionally evocative in spite of, or because of, his bizarreness, with a touchingly childlike vulnerability and purity. He can be read allegorically—for instance, as a stand-in for the isolated, urban modern individual—but Bishop's imaginatively detailed portrayal resists neat or pat symbolic readings, establishing this strange figure as a character unto himself.
