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Symbolism and interpretation
Symbolism and interpretation
Symbolism and interpretation
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It no longer comes as a surprise when writers include a deeper meaning, or symbolism within their work. A prime example of this style of writing is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy uses a minimalist approach, but almost every line has a meaning, and even the characters are a symbol. Although no names are ever given, each still have a unique personality. Characters within the novel tend to represent a trait of humanity, long believed to be lost. The novel covers closely the point of view of The Man, who we later learn is not only a father, but also was a husband. Now that civilization and the world are in shambles, he believes it is his duty to carry out justice as he finds necessary. The Man has the strong belief that there should be no …show more content…
Flashbacks throughout the novel reveal that she was the wife of The Man and the mother of The Boy. The trials that came due to the destruction of civilization took too large of a toll on her, and so she decided to end her own life, an act of desperation. The Woman comes off as reassuring, but as the story progresses the role she represents changes to the loss of hope, beckoning The Man to join her in the afterlife. As the story is progressing and the book is almost to its resolution, The Man and The Boy come across another man who has stolen all of their survival items. The Thief is forced to endure the punishment decided by The Man, the loss of all his clothes and being left for dead. “I’m starving, man. You’d have done the same” (McCarthy, 257). The Thief openly speaks of his misery, becoming the figure of desperation within the novel. No line of dialogue or narration was wasted. Cormac McCarthy chose his words carefully to get his ideas and symbols across in the simplest way. Each character that was introduced into The Road, is a tool used to portray traits of humanity. The different personalities and what they represent are not hard to decipher if enough attention is given to
In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story.
Readers develop a compassionate emotion toward the characters, although the characters are detached and impersonal, due to the tone of The Road. The characters are unidentified, generalizing the experience and making it relatable – meaning similar instances can happen to anyone, not just the characters in the novel. McCarthy combined the brutality of the post-apocalyptic world with tender love between father and son through tone.
She is converted into an almost biblical figure as the story parallels leading a group of oppressed peoples on an exodus. One can look at the ever-growing rise of feminine presence by looking chronologically at the text. The book transforms itself by the end focusing solely on Ma and the other women’s struggles.
A unique word choice introduces this essay, causing readers to be misguided. Staples begins by saying “My first victim was a woman…”(383). This choice of words obligated our minds to perceive this man as a criminal who was about to tell us his story. Staples allows himself to be portrayed as such a horrible person because that is exactly what people viewed him as. He uses self-blame as though he has accepted the fact of reality that he was viewed as a criminal and always will be. It seems as though he wanted to mislead us as readers so we would make the same mistake others did. A feeling of great guilt is created for judging this man that we barely knew. In such a simple way, Staples creates an ...
The narrator’s father is being freed from slavery after the civil war, leads a quiet life. On his deathbed, the narrator’s grandfather is bitter and feels as a traitor to the blacks’ common goal. He advises the narrator’s father to undermine the white people and “agree’em to death and destruction (Ellison 21)” The old man deemed meekness to be treachery. The narrator’s father brings into the book element of emotional and moral ambiguity. Despite the old man’s warnings, the narrator believes that genuine obedience can win him respect and praise.
Richard fails in finding manhood to emulate in his father. In the beginning of the book Richard’s father leaves his mother for another woman, making life for Richard’s family even more so difficult. “ After all, my hate for my father was not so great and urgent as my hate for the orphan home,” says Richard. When his father left, Richard and his brother were put into an orphan home, in order for their mother to work. When Richard, his mother, and his brother go to try to get money from Richard’s father, all he offers is a nickel to Richard which Richard refuses. Richard said that many years after, the picture of his father and the other woman by the fire, “ would surge up in my imagination so vivid and strong that I felt I could reach out and touch it.” Richard was unable to find manhood to emulate through his father.
Losing a phone compared to being raped, starved, killed, and eaten in pieces makes everyday life seem not so excruciating. Cormac McCarthy was born July 20, 1933 and is one of the most influencing writers of this era. McCarthy was once so poor he could not even afford toothpaste. Of course this was before he became famous. His lifestyle was hotel to hotel. One time he got thrown out of a $40 dollar a month hotel and even became homeless. This is a man who from experience knows what should be appreciated. McCarthy published a novel that would give readers just that message called The Road. Placed in a world of poverty the story is about a man and his son. They travel to a warmer place in hopes of finding something more than the scattered decomposing bodies and ashes. The father and son face hunger, death, and distrust on their long journey. 15 year old Lawrence King was shot for being gay. Known as a common hate crime, the murderer obviously thought he was more superior to keep his life and to take someone’s life. Believing ideas in a possible accepting world with no conditions is dangerous thought to that person’s immunity to the facts of reality.
... sins, but she can’t take back what she did so she will forever have blood on her hands. This guilt and all of the lies she has told is giving her true trepidation and in the end she decided to end her terror by taking her life.
Symbolism, something that figuratively represents something else, is prominent in many literary works. One piece of literature that stands out as a perfect example of symbolism is Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." This story is completely symbolic, and provides a good example of an allegory, or a story in which concrete items or characters represent abstract ideas. Hawthorne uses both objects and people as symbols to better support the allegorical tones throughout "Young Goodman Brown."
This passage defines the character of the narrators’ father as an intelligent man who wants a better life for his children, as well as establishes the narrators’ mothers’ stubbornness and strong opposition to change as key elements of the plot.
While reading the novel “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy the overall aspect is pessimistic. It is about violence, hardship, death, fear, and the loss of hope. Throughout the book, the two main characters, the man, and boy face up against some of the toughest survival and life lessons. Together they face the woman’s suicide, starvation, the idea of rape, sickness, survival of the apocalypse, and in a sense being hunted like prey by cannibals who also managed to survive the terrifying possibilities that cause Earth to go to chaos. Within the novel, there are hundreds of examples to provide evidence of the pessimistic nature of the novel. Cormac McCarthy who is the author continuously writes in his novel about some of the deepest and darkest situations
The author was able to see the a man crawl across the floor very weak and hungry trying to find food. “A man appeared how two pots of soup where left unguarded, and one man’s hunger could not withstand the temptation. (Wiesel 56-57). Wiesel is trying to tell his readers that people went without food and water for days. Wiesel uses simile throughout the book to compare and the contrast.
Symbolism is one of the most effective and powerful elements in writing. We see various examples of this all throughout "The Things They Carried." Symbolism enables us to tell a story one way, while all along trying to say another. I believe Tim O'Brien has achieved success in doing so in "The Things They Carried."
In the book All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, symbolism is shown in multiple different ways. Symbolism is the usage of symbols to represent ideas and qualities. When reading the book, in the beginning these symbols do not tend to stand out, but as the plot continues symbols are found everywhere. Multiple symbols are used throughout the story like horses, blood and water. Some more less-noticeable symbols are dust, religion, and sunsets.
Many authors and poets uses symbolism to express emotion and sections throughout the text. Symbols is a great literary device that can help give messages to the reader without the author being too direct. In the story, “Barns Burning” by William Faulkner, Symbolism helps analysis different emotions and meaning throughout the story.