“Hotel Room, 12th Floor: Theme; Human Instincts” Overview

Human Instincts

The idea of human instincts is a recurring theme in MacCaig’s “Hotel Room, 12th Floor.”
MacCaig suggests human beings are still bound by their primitive instincts despite living in a high-tech world.
The poet’s description of New York as a “wild west” speaks of a lawless place driven by primal human instincts.
The mention of “broken bones, the harsh screaming from coldwater flats” paints a savage picture of humanity’s violent inclinations despite the surrounding modernity.
The poem ends with the line “in the uncivilised darkness,” again associating darkness with the primitive aspects of human behaviour.

The poet contrasts the squeaky clean modernistic image of New York with the inherent brutality of human nature.
Words like “neon” and “jumbo size” epitomise the brash modernity of New York, but the underlying theme of human instincts strikingly contrasts with this tone.
The poet uses the concept of the midnight frontier to portray New York city as a wild place, uncontrolled by authorities and driven by people’s uninhibited instincts.

MacCaig’s poem also deals with humanity’s struggle to bury its primitive behaviour and adopt a civilised way of life.
The city’s skyscrapers, street lights, and well-laid roads are symbols of civilisation, but their effect is undermined by the basic human instincts portrayed in the poem.
The idea of savage warfare, symbolised by “warwhoops” and “broken bones,” shows that beneath the surface level civilisation, the primal drive for dominance and violence exists.

In “Hotel Room, 12th Floor,” MacCaig brings to life the paradox that is modern society, showcasing the tension between the civilised facade of the city and the primitive, instinctive behaviours of its inhabitants. The poem offers a sobering reminder of the raw, brutal elements of human nature that lurk beneath the veneer of progress and sophistication.