In the poem Icarus, Edward Field utilizes a wide range of literary devices, namely modern diction and context, vivid description, and juxtaposition, in order to portray life as an endless loop of an Icarus myth that happens to everyone in society, regardless of their attempt to escape, ultimately conveying the cruel and exhausting nature of modern society and the detrimental effect it has on people.

The idea that the modern life people are living in still resembles the characteristics of the myth of Icarus is presented in the first stanza through comtemporary dictions. To accomplish that, Field uses the modern scenario of "the police ignor[ing] the confusing aspects of the case," as well as how the report is "filed and forgotten" in a wrong way. Based on the word choice, it is easy to tell from the beginning that the poem is placed in the modern setting, while still suggesting the familiar and universal characteristics of the myth of Icarus. By setting up the context as a modern one, Field makes the poem more relatable in the modern era; a renewal of the classic myth that would make it timeless. The one similarity between the original myth and this poem is maintained: a person is "drowned" in the water. This one word choice is the bridge between the modern narrative and the original myth, because such action of being drowned of Icarus is so iconic, that the word can now associate with such the fallen hero. "But it was wrong." The main character of the poem, Mr. Hicks, was not drowned; he had "swum away" to the city. This detail marks the main difference between the original myth and this modern adaptation: the hero did not die as he looked for freedom and saved his heart of the fate of Icarus. Or did he? This "Icarus" seems to survive based on this detail, and that is the important one because it will highlight the evil cycle of the fallen Icarus. The interesting difference introduced at the end of the first stanza marks the universal question that is going to be answered as the poem moves forward.

In the Greek myth, when Icarus was caught up in the experience of flying, his wings fell off and he plunged to his death in the sea; in this modern adaptation seems to make it different. After surviving from swimming across the sea, Mr Hicks becomes a respectable person of society, recognized by his neighbors, and goes around in the "gray, respectable suit" with "huge wings." The characterization of Mr. Hicks in the second stanza portrays his fate to have a different "ending" from Icarus, because instead of dying, Hicks got everything he wanted before. This detail raises the question of whether or not this is a faithful adaptation of the myth of Icarus since everything appears to be different up until this point, but Field immediately states that Mr. Hicks also has "those sad, defeated eyes" that had once "compelled the sun." This detail marks the turning point: the poem's Icarus has never truly escaped his tragic fate, because why then would he continue to bear those sad eyes that speak louder than a thousand words of complainment? "Sad, defeated eyes" connotes a feeling of restriction, of freedom being taken away, and the person is left with burdens and a dark future ahead, in contrast with the "sun" it once compelled.

And turns out, just like Icarus, Mr. Hicks has always been working hard to find his freedom. It is revealed later that he spends time every day "in his workshop, construct[ing] small wings." Small wings, although small, is still the great symbol of freedom, in direct contrast with the "controlled huge wings" Mr. Hicks is wearing on his back. The "small wings" conveys the internal desire of the poem's Icarus: to be able to freely control his life from the smallest details, instead of bearing a huge burden without a say. The characteristics of the original myth of Icarus are seen again, as Mr. Hicks finds himself wanting to escape from the prison of his mind, the prison of society. But in the end, he "wishes he had drowned." The last line of the poem is a tragic one: by mentioning the action of being drowned once again, he accepts the reality that his fate would be no different from Icarus', in a way that they both have to pay for their desire to fly high. Mr. Hicks does not have to pay for it with his own life, but in a deeper sense, his life is taken away by society, by the "commuter trains" and the "various commitees." These details show that the fall of Mr. Hicks, "the tragic fall of the hero," marks his own realization of the real world, a cruel and exhausting life he never thought of the moment he swam across the sea. Now, Mr. Hicks does not die physically, but he dies mentally; in the modern society, what makes it different from dying physically like Icarus? The open question raised at the end leaves room for different lessons learned from this modern adaptation.