Bless the Beast and the Children symbols, motifs, and themes essay
In Bless the Beasts and the Children, symbols and motifs help progress the story and develop the theme that ?when faced with a certain situation, boys will do great things?. The boys can use symbols and motifs to help them get through obstacles without giving up and acheive their goal. The boys also give up symbols and motifs they used for comfort or stability that they no longer need because of their independence and maturity.
All of the boys carry around a radio, hat, and flashlight which each symbolize how the boys rely on physical things to soothe their emotional distress. The radios give the boys a sense of security when they?re afraid. The hats symbolize shelter for the boys away from the society. The flashlights symbolize a comforting presence when they?re alone. These items all symbolize the boys? immaturity in the beginning which helps progress the story by how the boys can throw them away at the end and declare their maturity and emotional stability. This symbol helps develop the theme because they are faced with the situation of being alone when they?re not stable enough to be dependent on themselves so they use these things to replace that feeling.
The gates that constrain the buffalo in their pens symbolize a barrier or obstacle that the boys have to face to get one step closer to their goal. The boys have to solve many conflicts to get their freedom and the buffalo have to get through the gates to get theirs. The buffalo is a motif representing the boys and their struggle not only for freedom but to find themselves and find happiness in society. The gates help progress the story because it is the final challenge the boys have to overcome before completing their goal and gaining independence. This symbol helps develop the theme because it shows that the boys didn?t back out, faced up to the challenge and got what they wanted.
Cotton symbolizes the boys? dependency, insecurities, and innocence. Cotton is a vital role in the book because he is a father like figure to the boys that they can fall back on when they uncover obstacles and feel distressed, he can comfort them. The boys are very dependent on Cotton?s wisdom and knowledge throughout the whole story because the boys are still children and need someone to support them, and they are very insecure about themselves and think that they need Cotton.
The radios are the first case of symbolism shown in the novel. They are used by each and every one of the bedwetters at night to help them go to sleep. To them it helps to imagine someone is right there with them when the radios are going. On some nights, like the one at the start of the novel each of them have their radios going full blast, this shows the fear each of them have at the beginning of the novel. The children aren’t afraid of being so far from home or from their parents because each of them are plenty used to that. All of their parents go on trips away from home for long periods of time or when they are home just simply neglect them. The radios help represent something being there for them when they are afraid because their parents never are. Towards the end of the novel when the boys are herding the buffalo out of the cages it is very easy for them to throw the radios at the buffalo without missing them. This was put into the novel to show to the readers that the boys no longer need the radios in order to sleep at night and that ...
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck chooses to use many different and unique symbols in order to help develop characters and to foreshadow upcoming events. The symbols used in this story give it a more effective message and provide a better understanding to what Steinbeck has intended to convey. He uses many different forms of symbolism, some which are objects while some are actual human relationships, in order to make the story more realistic and to give it a more insightful approach.
Symbolism shows the reader that there is a deeper message within the diction. “The Lottery” addresses the theme more successfully than “The Ones Who Walked Away from the Omelas” with the greater use of religious and traditional symbolism. The symbolisms in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” are various, but “The Lottery” uses symbolism for personal appeal and also makes a deeper connection between the symbols and the theme, making the short story more successful.
...e of the meanings to be determined by the reader, but clearly conveys the meaning behind others. Such variety provides something or someone for any reader to relate to. Symbolism, hidden or obvious, serves to connect the reader with the characters of “The Things They Carried” and follow their development with interest and ease. In many cases, symbols answer the question which the entire story is based upon, why the men carry the things they do.
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.
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”.
One of the most important themes running through the whole story in Lord of the Flies by William Golding is the power of different symbols. Golding frequently uses symbolism, which is the practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning. The main point of each symbol is its use and its effect on each of the characters. They help shape who the characters are and what they will be. The symbols weave their way throughout the story and are more powerful than they first seem. Two boys from similar upbringings can both be so drastically different when put in difficult situations and given things to make them wield power among others. Spitz says, “But his desire for many controls did not, of course, extend to controls
Another thing that was symbolized in the book is the conch shell. The conch is what Ralph blew into to get the boys to come together. At first they established rules, one of them being the person holding the conch is the only person who can speak. The conch symbolizes order among the boys. As time past the boys acted more and more uncivil, and they didn't pay much attention to the conch. At this point, order stated to disintegrate. Towards the end of the novel, when the conch was shattered, all civilization of the boys shattered along with it. There was complete chaos on the island.
Symbols are put in this novella to convey a deeper meaning throughout the story. The symbols also help display different meanings. In the novel Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck has several themes throughout his novel. There are many symbols in Of Mice and Men such as Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and George.
Symbolism In "The Things They Carried" In Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" we see how O'Brien uses symbolism in order to indirectly give us a message and help us to connect to what the soldiers are thinking and feeling. During a war, soldiers tend to take with them items from home, kind of as a security blanket. The items they normally take with them tend to reveal certain characteristics of their personality. Henry Dobbins is the guy who loves to eat, so he made sure he took some extra food. Ted Lavender was the scaredy cat of the group, so he carried tranquilizers with him.
Symbols: we see them on the street, on the walls, and in our homes, plastered on backpacks, jackets, and even fast food receipts. From the generic images that guide us through our daily lives to the shapes we see on television screens, these symbols are everywhere—and their importance as guides that tell us how to live, what to do and whom to believe is undeniable. Of all of these symbols, perhaps some of the most important are the symbols found in literature. In using simplistic symbols to represent profound ideas, authors construct a kind of “key”: one that allows readers to look past the surface of a story and reflect on the deeper messages beneath. Such is the nature of the symbols found in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As a group of boys stranded on an island struggle to survive without adult supervision to maintain order, Golding uses a variety of objects to convey their descent from civilization into brutality, violence, and savagery. Of these objects, three hold particular significance. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the conch, the signal fire, and the Lord of the Flies to symbolize civilization, hope for rescue, and inner evil while conveying an overall theme of innate human evil.
Symbols are a way that humans apply meaning to ritualize settings and objects, which without the complex brain of Homo sapiens, would be nothing. The Story of Jumping Mouse uses ritual and symbolic meaning that shows representations add depth to the text and helps people make connections between two wildly different concepts, also this story explains how man uses those representations for new meaning that provides what the reader should remember when the story is over.
All forms of literature consist of patterns that can be discovered through critical and analytical reading, observing and comparing. Many patterns are discussed in the novel, How to Read Literature like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster. Among these patterns, he discusses the use of symbolism and the representation something can have for a different, underlying aspect of a piece of literature. These symbols tend to have multiple meanings and endless interpretations depending on who is reading and analyzing them. No matter
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.
The symbol I used for the first quote is a cleft lip. In the novel, this represents poverty. In the novel, Baba pays to fix Hassan’s cleft lip because Ali could not afford it. This is because in Afghanistan, Baba is considered wealthy in contrast to when he is in America. Although the cleft lip is associated with Hassan, it is ironically associated with Baba because he shows signs of poverty in America. The symbol I used for the second theme is the monster in the lake. This monster represents evil caused by jealousy. In this case, the monster symbolizes Amir’s selfishness when he let Assef assault Hassan. When Amir stats how no one can be trusted, he is also untrustworthy. The symbol I used to represent the third theme was the blue kite. In the novel, Amir wins this kite from the tournament. Although this kite represents guilt, it can also represent redemption because Amir later amends his wrong doings by fathering Sohrab. Since Amir attempts to redeem his relationship with his father through winning the local kite tournament, I thought that this would be an insightful symbol. Lasty, I used brass knuckles to represent the final theme. Assef uses these knuckles to harm others. I incorporated this symbol to represent the abuse of power because this theme addresses the justification of