Loneliness and Isolation
The Man-Moth lives in a state of confused loneliness, frightened by and alienated from his surroundings. These surroundings are surreal but recognizably urban. The Man-Moth scales tall buildings and lives underground, traveling on a network of subway tracks. His fear and loneliness, then, can be understood partly as a response to the isolation of contemporary urban life. Indeed, the fact that the character both fears and wants to reach the moon, the only representation of the natural world within this strange urban landscape, further suggests that the Man-Moth's unhappiness comes at least partly from his own separation from nature. Bishop emphasizes the unnatural aspects of this setting and the way that it isolates the Man-Moth not merely from those around him but from his own sensory perceptions—for instance, by describing the way that the train's odd movements actually make it impossible for the character to determine its speed or direction.
Perseverance and Failure
The Man-Moth is determined to reach the moon even though he is doomed to fail, and even though he fails to do so every time he tries. This perseverance creates the impression of both impressive perseverance and touching, sad vulnerability. It is motivated by fear as much as by determination: the Man-Moth believes that the moon is a hole in the sky, in need of cautious examination. On the other hand, he is curiously and even admirably fearless about his own fate in the face of failure. The Man-Moth also displays this perseverance in a more subtle way. Despite his isolation, in the work's final lines he seems to attempt a kind of emotional connection, offering his own tears to another person.
