Literature in all body types and lengths tend to function as a source entertainment as well an educator tool to all humans intellectual and spiritual interactions. Reading a literary work triggers the reader's stimulant to identify with some devices of the literary work to their own personal experience in some sort. A literary work always carries one or more elements whether it is psychological, sociological, or historical. In Mary Mann's short story Little Brother she claims the sociological elements in which she adopts the story of a poor family as the true essence of the story is a real understanding about the conflict of Mr. and Mrs. Hodd in managing their own thirteen children with their low communication, cooperation in addition to the harsh surroundings and poverty. She portrays the image of disconnection and poverty among the Hodds family through the eyes and point of view of an unnamed narrator. Though little brother is often read as a short story that recounts the elements of surprise and accidentals it may also be interpreted as an allegory highlighted with dense amounts of symbolism reflection on the lower level of a society's hierarchy and its affects that withholds due to their inferiority. An allegory in a story is picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, moreover the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about the human life or for a political or historical situation. Little brother begins with an outer flat character a nurse who goes into the Hodds cottage to a deliver a baby and then announces the born baby is dead. The author expresses that it is a mercy that the child was born dead as he refers to the living conditions and appearances of the children when he says "Look at th... ... middle of paper ... ...ection of the story is then transferred to turnip house following the narrator and the meet with Mr. Hodd. The narrator describes Mr. Hodd as “Unkempt-looking creature , habited in an outer garment composed of a dirty sack, through the hole cut in the bottom of which his head projected; a tangle of matted red hair met a tangle of matted red beard” (Mann 93). The word sack was chosen to describe Mr. Hodds appearance to that is known to be a loose or unfitted garment. The sack can be a symbol to the desperation or submission to his fate or life situation. Red hair could be seen as a symbol, a pattern that shows that red headed people in their genetic makeup are three times more sex derived than non-red headed people. This can be seen as a justification to the reason why there are thirteen children in the Hodds family even after the lack of love in the couple’s life.
When looking into works of literature, some stories seem to be similar to others. They can have a similar setting, point of view, theme, or sense of language and style. However, all of these points could be very different as well and could cover different theme or style. Flannery O’Conner’s “Good Country People” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” have some contrasting elements, such as their points of view and use of symbolism, but their similarities in the underlying theme, language, and the setting of these stories reveal how these two stories are impacted by education on both the individual and their family.
From the beginning of the novel, Small presents various characteristics of his household structure that promoted dysfunctional relationships when he was a child. “From the book’s very first pages, he presents their home filled with a nervous potential violence.” (Pedler) Small begins the novel, being the age of six, by describing each family member’s non verbal vocabularies. He begins with his mother’s language which was slamming cupboard doors, than his father’s, punching a punching bag, next his brother’s, beating on a drum, and lastly himself, getting sick. The lack of verbal communication in the household can create tension within the family because there is no exchange of feelings or concerns. If someone is going through mental or physical pain, others in the family wouldn’t know about it because there is no communication of that sort within the household. Another household characteristic that prompted dysfunctional relationships was the amount and way the mother had input. For example, there is a
“In a simple allegory, characters and other elements often stand for other definite meanings, which are often abstractions” (Kennedy 234). Since everyone in the town is involved in the stoning, they do not view their sacrifice as murder, but as something needed to be done. “‘All right, folks,’ Mr. Summers said, ‘Let’s finish this quickly.’” (Jackson 259). The young boys in the town are excited about the lottery, but the girls stand off to the side because it is in a boy’s nature to be brutal, yet the women of the town seem just as excited as the boys, and the men calm down as the girls. “The boys’ eager and childish cruelty will turn into the sober reluctance of their fathers, whereas the childish apartness of the girls will become the grown women’s blood lust” (Whittier 357). Most people associate winning a lottery as coming into a large sum of money; but on the contrary, the winner of this lottery must pay with their ultimate sacrifice. “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (257). Jackson’s use of allegories is sublime, drawing her readers to the central
Symbolism is used commonly in literature to reveal a deeper meaning through something indirectly. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, symbolism is “ the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations” ("Symbolism."). From colors and emotions, such as red and romance, to animals, like doves and peace, symbols better a readers understanding of the text and make for an overall better story. Symbolism gives writer freedom to add double levels of meanings to his work: a literal one that is self-evident and the symbolic one whose meaning is far more profound than the literal one. The symbolism, therefore, gives universality to the characters and the themes of a piece of literature ("Literary Devices."). In the text, A Doll’s House, the author, Hendrik Ibsen, uses symbols of macaroons, the Tarantella, and money to reveal controversial topics between Nora and Torvad.
This can be perceived in the names of her characters, the sky, and even the weather. Jennifer Bouchard explains O’Connor’s hidden meaning behind the antagonist’s given name, “The aptly named character of The Misfit serves as a symbol both of evil as well as a symbol of the villain’s inability to fit into society.” (82) Flannery articulates how symbolism is used within her stories stating “You might say that these are details that, while having their essential place in the literal level of the story, operate in depth as well as on the surface, increasing the story in every direction.” (334) Understanding the elements within a story not only has superficial meanings, but hidden implications as well expand the reader’s knowledge and enjoyment. “O’Connor includes several symbols in A Good Man Is Hard to Find. For example, skies and weather are always symbolic to O’Connor, and she often uses such descriptions to reveal a character’s state of mind.” (103) To represent this technique take this excerpt from the story, “…the grandmother who half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at a cloudless sky.” (309) Upon first glance we might miss the true meaning in this passage, which is the grandmothers receiving of salvation and happiness in her final moment. O’Connor’s use of symbolism causes the reader to dig deeper into a story, so be mindful of
In almost every story, one can find symbolism throughout the text to help the reader better understand what the writer wants the reader to takeout from his/her story. Symbolism is something that must be analyzed and explored to experience a deeper meaning to the story. Sometimes, symbolism throughout a story may not be noticeable when first read, but going back to analyze the text can add a deeper meaning to words and can also help to enhance the meaning behind the story line. In some instances, symbolism can leave a reader to ponder what the writer is trying to express with the symbolism used in the story; for symbolism can be interpreted differently and can have many layers of meaning to it. Some good examples of short stories that use symbolism to extend the meaning behind the story line are “The Lottery,” “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” and “The Jury of Her Peers”.
Symbolism “acts as webbing between theme and story. Themes alone can sound preachy, and stories alone can sound shallow. Symbolism weaves the two together” (Hall). Symbolism uses the story to convey the theme. Darkness is used in the novel to show the secrecy and lies that the story has. The whole story involves secrecy among two women and a man. Without symbolism the story would just have a very dark house and two very mysterious and disturbed women. Instead there is a feel of secrecy right from the beginning. Symbolism gives the story excitement, while also providing the reader with a good read. The author can read the first few pages and determine the story is not a happy
The symbols of the scarecrows and birds of fine song and feather, the knitting, and the Gorgon’s head help with the theme because they demonstrate how man can be cruel and unfeeling toward his fellow citizen. The symbols help in understanding the theme that both the aristocrats and the peasants are capable of being apathetic and cruel. The symbols also aid in reading and understanding the plot. Both the symbols and the theme enhance the plot and help in comprehending the characters. In short, evil is present everywhere, and terrible things happen to bad and good people.
deeper meanings than what the reader can see on the surface. The allegorical meaning is the writer’s real purpose in writing the narrative so that a lesson can be found when reading below the surface. “Young Goodman Brown”, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a perfect example of an allegorical story and is filled with many symbolic elements.
Short stories are a form of literature works that authors use to communicate various themes and issues to the reader. As such, it is common for different short stories authored by different people to have a central meaning or theme that differs from each other. In addition, the way the author portrays his/her central theme or meaning would differ from the way other authors would craft their short stories to best portray their central meaning. While some would use characterization as a means of portraying the theme of their story, other authors employ the use of symbols to better communicate their theme. However, some slight similarities can always be drawn between short stories. ‘Hills like White
Jo March, the protagonist of Little Women, has a similar childhood to Louisa May Alcott. “Jo is the perfect part for Louisa to play” (Carter). Louisa uses these resemblances as a foundation to show her aspirations as a writer. The family characteristics, the setting of the novel, and the attitudes and desires of both Jo and Louisa are rather parallel. First of all, Louisa lived in Concord, Massachusetts with her parents and three sisters, like her protagonist Jo and her family. She began writing at a young age and wrote in a journal daily. She used this journal to depict her childhood experiences, which she later used to create stories and novels. Several of these adventures from Louisa’s childhood are continued in the novel, Little Women. Because of their supportive families, both women started writing at an early age. “Alcott illustrates Christian virtues, especially unselfishness, fortitude, faith, and charity, in the context of family and friendships” (Morrow). They share a passion for literature and writing, and struggle to help their families overcome poverty.
The Catcher in the Rye is not all horror of this sort. There is a wry humor in this sixteen-year-old's trying to live up to his height, to drink with men, to understand mature sex and why he is still a virgin at his age. His affection for children is spontaneous and delightful. There are few little girls in modern fiction as charming and lovable as his little sister, Phoebe. Altogether this is a book to be read thoughtfully and more than once. It is about an unusually sensitive and intelligent boy; but, then, are not all boys unusual and worthy of understanding? If they are bewildered at the complexity of modern life, unsure of themselves, shocked by the spectacle of perversity and evil around them - are not adults equally shocked by the knowledge that even children cannot escape this contact and awareness?
Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.
This book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It in a town in New England in the 1800’s. It about a family and the girls growing up during the 1800’s and the things they have to face. The growing pains that all girls have to go through even now. This was a very sad book at the end when Beth dies.
Over the past few months in class we have learned about many aspects of literature. Some examples of them are characterization, setting, style, tone, allegory, theme, and symbolism. I chose to write this essay about the symbolism aspect that is featured in so many great works of literature. Two such stories that we have read in which symbolism is demonstrated is in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck, and The Worker in Sandalwood by Majorie Pickthall.