"Wheels"

“Wheels” by Jim Daniels uses a reminiscent tone coupled with symbolism to remind his readers that the biggest part of life is to stick with what one loves. Almost every third line is the word “waving”. This shows the reader that no matter what the speaker’s brother was doing, he was happy and waving. The line following that is a type of car. There is big significance in this because the speaker says that their brother ”kept in a frame on the wall pictures of every motorcycle, car, truck.” Every car corresponds to a period in his life. The rusted Impala convertible shows that coming out of high school, he was not at his polished prime however, he was open to everything. In contrast, his “shiny new rig” is symbolic of a fresh new start after real estate did not pan out. He had a car for every time in his life because cars are what he loved. The fact that his sibling could document his life through cars shows real dedication. The poem ends with the brother riding off helmetless while still waving. This is symbolic of the brother’s death and shows that even until the last moment, the brother was happy and with what he loved. Jim Daniels masterly combines cars and symbolism to tell the reader the biggest part of life is to stick with what one loves.