Writing Prompt: Raft of the Medusa

 Prompt: Write a piece inspired by a work of art.

Theodore Gericault’s “Raft of the Medusa” (1818-1819)

What was it like to be one of the desperate people crowded on a rickety raft of 149 passengers from the shipwrecked Medusa in July 1816? Or better yet, what was it like to be one of the only 15 survivors that were eventually rescued by a passing vessel after enduring thirst and starvation under extremely harsh elements? French Romantic artist Theodore Gericault, obsessed with the true story from his day, chose to focus on the raft survivors, showing us his depiction of the state they were in upon first sighting the rescue ship. Parallels to a recovery from alcoholism through AA can be drawn, which will be explored in this piece.

When your eyes first see the canvas, they seem to be drawn immediately to the two barely clad, pale figures nearly slipping off the raft and into the sea. One looks dead but what about the other? Is there some still-smoldering ember of life that he can somehow hold on to for just awhile longer? Similar to an alcoholic on death’s door, can one make their way through the AA meeting doors, will their legs hold out to propel them forward, or can they get to a detox facility or hospital soon enough and surrender? It’s a crap shoot, oftentimes, perhaps the Higher Power is calling the shots; and in Gericault’s painting, a pensive, seated figure to the left is firmly holding on to this figure teetering on the edge, almost willing him to hang on. An allusion to God?

As your eyes make their way along the raft lifting up in the sea to the right, you first see several figures in the center, under a billowing remnant of a sail blowing in the wind, holding up one another, and reaching upwards to support a dark-skinned figure on the right standing on a barrel, who has mustered up enough energy to wave a red kerchief to signal the rescue ship in the horizon. Might this remind you of the fellowship of AA, lifting one another up towards recovery from a rock-bottom? The rescue ship can be seen as the AA 12-Step program, offering a blessed solution to a hellish situation, that one seeks to escape from but needs help. There is even a figure on the raft waving a piece of white cloth, a sign of surrender, which is so intertwined with AA’s Step One. 

Taken as a whole, the figures on the raft illustrate the ravages of being adrift, but also the exhilarating advent of hope when salvation is spied. One need only think of an AA meeting room, where individuals in all states gather under the sign: Hope Is Found Here. In the rooms, the downtrodden individual can find a smile, and eventually laughter; something we might wish for those on the raft still alive to be rescued to ultimately experience again.