Symbolism In The Drowned Man By Esteban

While the villagers are facing the grandiose drowned man, they realize their courtyards are empty and that their tiny dreams are boring and obvious in front of this man. At the same time, this part clearly illustrates that their compassion toward the dead man is a reflection of themselves. When they see the dead man, they seem to notice what they are lacking. The stories they create for his life reflect what they desire to have in their lives; thus, they put their hopes on the dead man to make them feel satisfied and happy. During the ritual, the villagers notice that the village has already been changed: “They also knew that everything would be different from then on” (59). Through the dead man, they see the future of themselves and the village. The villagers would build their houses with wider and higher doors, higher ceilings and stronger floors, so that Esteban’s memory and magic could go everywhere and be

However, the “sea” and “flowers” are also important symbols in the story. They both play an important role and have witnessed the transformation of the story. Additionally, there have many sea imageries throughout the story. For instance, the dead man approached from the sea, so his sea-like smell made the women fantasize about how he had the power to catch fish. At the end, he is returned back to the sea. The connection between the sea and the drowned man is a “supernatural figure of mythology.” When the dead man came to the villagers, the atmosphere on that night was unusually peaceful and quiet, which made the women consider that he had the power to control the supernatural. At the end, the villagers returned him back to the “sea” again. At that point, he was already an object of the sea, which illustrates he was supernatural and belonged to the sea. Therefore, he might have the authority to control everything related to the