Symbol Analysis
The sea is more than just a big swimming pool in "Neither Out Far Nor In Deep." It's so darn mesmerizing that it's got everyone staring at it all day in the hopes of unlocking life's greatest mysteries. But it also has a way of distracting us from the life that's right beneath our feet.
- Line 4: There are no bathroom breaks when it comes to staring at the sea all day. The sea is so alluring that people forget all about the earthly stuff—you know, the very ground they walk on?
- Line 6: That ship that's way out in the middle of the sea certainly isn't doing anything exciting. In fact, the speaker makes it sound downright boring when he says it "keeps raising its hull." There are no surprises at this sea, it seems. And yet the people stare anyway.
- Lines 13-14: Here comes the kicker. The speaker points out that "they cannot look out far" and "they cannot look in deep" as the humans stare at the sea. So no matter how alluring the sea and its truths may be, we as people can't see them anyway.