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The use of symbolism in the novel
Importance of symbolism in literature
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The Importance of Fear in The River Warren
In Kent Meyers' The River Warren, the reader can detect many examples of symbolism. The basic theme throughout the novel focuses on the river. The River Warren, in its past and present state, means different things to each character in the novel. Many important scenes take place on the river and its banks emphasizing its importance. As the river winds through the land around Cloten in the story, its symbol winds through the lives of the characters and the lives of readers. Meyers stresses the river's significance to members of the community through each character's testimony and story. In the novel the river represents- symbolizes- is fear.
Everyone has some type of fear, and for each character in the novel this holds true. To Angel Finn, a dream of the river's past is admittedly exciting. On one specific night, Angel's fears are clearly presented on the river. He says, "I ain't been afraid on that river for a long time, spooked but never afraid...but I was surely afraid when I come around that bend...my heart kinda shriveled"(143). Angel has found his fear on the river. It is odd, though, that Angel usually goes to the river to escape from his fears. He says, "on the night river, everything seems far away, so far away it's come back around to being close, and a man can need nothing and want everything, and wonder what his life's all about at the same time that he knows"(3). Angel wonders about the meaning of life, but in reality, he knows what it's all about. Angel never mentions any family. All we really know about him is that he is a lonely hardware store owner who loves being on the river. Who is he really? A lonely old man finding escape from life and loneliness fishing on the river. While on the river Angel meets and befriends two young boys, Luke and Jeff. To him, they seem to understand how highly the river should be valued. The three men treat the river as if it has a personality and holds some kind of dignified or sacred value to them. Angel explains himself when he says, "I know I don't know myself on the river, but I swear that it knows me.
The Dangers of Fear Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worst attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point where they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous examples used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were.
There are several elements of symbolism in the story; however, “The deeper levels of this story are disclosed by examining not only what is implied through the irony but also what is indicated by symbolism and repetition” (Holla...
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne conveys to readers a seemingly highly religious Puritan town. However, this town appears to be holding a devious truth. Throughout his work Hawthorne utilizes symbolism to convey the corrupt and evil truth behind the otherwise highly religious Puritan town. Through his main symbol usage of Faith’s pink ribbons, Faith’s name and appearances throughout the story, and the woods in which the story is set, readers see the façade slowly fade through the story and reveal the truth about the town.
Symbolism is strongly represented through Kaplan’s short story. The symbols represented are the ocean, the killing of the doe and the woods. Visiting the ocean for the first time at the Jersey Shore was new for Andy. Since then she had been awfully frightened of the ocean. She believes the ocean to be a huge, vast that constantly moved, keeps shifting
“You think you can walk on water with your book? Look where they got you, in slime up to your lip. If I stir the slime with my little finger, you’ll drown!” It is through this confrontation with Beatty, when he finally removes himself from the society- crossing the river, which symbolises purification as it changes him from ignorance and conformity to knowledge and individual.
To the readers, this reveals a further truth within the narrator each time. This repeated image that is described is a signifier to her true trauma. The first mention of the body in the river is a critical signifier in the story.
Despite being faced with many hardships, Poe was able to harness his woes and transform them into works of art. Although quite sinister at times, the works of Poe have the power to leave readers breathless. It is with this power that “The Raven” was created. Poe created a way in which repetition would provoke meaning instead of boredom. He shaped symbols that would encourage the exact thoughts to occur to the reader that he had been thinking upon writing “The Raven.” His characters were crafted in a way that would be relatable to everyone and be easily understood. These characters not only make “The Raven” more universal, but they make the message of the poem more intense to the reader. In order to produce work that makes people feel and suffer, a stroke of genius is necessary. This stroke of genius was distinguished in the life of Edgar Allan Poe. It is works like this that encourage the literary world to expand. This inspires writers to fabricate their own claim to fame. “The Raven,” of course, has influenced many works (Bloom 49). To create a masterpiece as extraordinary as “The Raven” again is quite literally impossible. The use of characters, symbolism, and repetition sets this poem on its own little shelf, to be outshined,
The story of the Raven tells of a lonely man who has lost his one true love Lenore. As he sits alone in his chamber nearly falling asleep, a raven comes to him. The man has many questions for the raven, yet all the raven replies is "nevermore." Why is the Raven there, this day at his window? Poe starts off by offering insight to the surroundings of the house. He mentions midnight in the first line. In the next paragraph he also speaks of "bleak December." Automatically I remembered the first line of The Purloined letter and the significance the time of month and day had on the story. I believe midnight and December brings up the idea of New Years Eve. The end as well as the begging to many things. It brings up the thought of a Winter darkness, and loneliness for some. Before the story even starts Poe makes you imagine what time of year it is and the feelings those seasons bring. The end of the year marks many holidays for us, with holidays comes family and friends. I believe Poe chooses this time of year to show the reader the narrator has absolutely no one to spend time with. The most important symbol used in the story is the raven.
In "Two Views of the River," an excerpt from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi, Twain comes to the realization of the realities of the river. After a life along the river and knowing "every trifling feature that bordered the great river as" well as he knew his alphabet, (Twain 1) Twain sees the reality behind the "beauty" (1) and "poetry" (1) of the river. A comprehensive analysis reveals Twain's argument questions the value of learning a trade, as his images of "the majestic river" (1) and the peril it may cause for the steamboat, show the comparisons of the beauty and the reality of the river.
Throughout one’s life, he or she will experience many situations where a lesson is learned, or a fear is amassed. One person may be able to deal with such terrors easily, while another will suffer because of the dread and panic that now haunts them. The poem ‘My Fear’ by Lawrence Raab discusses the haunting situation of fear following someone, and the personification, imagery, and tone of the speaker all provide depth to this seemingly innocent poem and allow one to truly appreciate how fear and troubles affect him or her.
In the poem “The Raven” Edgar Allan Poe wrote about grief, sadness, and depression. He is writing about a young girl named Lenore. She is depicted as pure, beautiful, and the very thing that the main character lives for, his beloved Lenore. When he loses her, he is sent into a spiral of depression. This leads him to believe that a black raven pecking at his door was sent by Lenore. Through out the poem “The Raven” Poe uses many things to illustrate the theme darkness, such as the words he so carefully uses, the symbols that are chosen, and the description of everything.
Symbolism is found in many place within the story. Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to communicate through picture with the readers. In the story there is a black wooden box that is well known to the villagers. In the black box there were two slips of paper one was white and the other was black. The box is a connection to their tradition in the village. “ Mr. Graves opened the slip of paper and there was a general
The raven is the prime example of personification. One does not normally hear a bird, more specifically a raven talk. Throughout the poem the bird talks and repeats “nevermore”, which is a human quality. “Nevermore” is also an example of repetition that Poe uses to drive home his point that Lenore is not coming back. Symbolism the most prevalent device. The raven is a symbol of death and bad omens, related to Lenore 's passing. Another prevalent symbol is Lenore. The man never gives a description about her, but she appears constantly which makes her a symbol. She appears to be a symbol of his sadness and problems because her passing caused them. Night 's Plutonian Shore is a symbolism of death. Pluto is the roman god of the underworld, and night is associated when death occurs. These two combined reference the underworld and every bad connotation death has. The Bust of Pallas, referenced in the paragraph before is a symbol too. It is a symbol that references Lenore but also Athena. The bust represents Athena who is the goddess of wisdom, and when the bird lands
...lnerable to hunters of evil and corruption. The reader may think that the victors oppress the victims, however the statuses of both rotate around within the novel by making the victors seems like victims and vice-versa. The usage of symbolism contributes to the motif of victors and victims by attaching labels to individuals, helping the reader distinguish the prey and the predator.
Jane was brought up enduring a life of struggle and hardship that she was able to gain wisdom from and see beauty in. Bronte places Jane in situations where she is able to prove her resilience such as placing Jane at the Moore house because she wanted her to see the nature of the world and to show the reader that life comes with surprises. After rising from this fall, she arrives at Moor House where her skills she learned at Marsh End are tested. Jane learns throughout her adventure that she has to take matters into her own hands. Jane desires to be favored in this world. She’s never found the “feeling of isolation” pleasing, so when she falls into Marsh End she is obviously miserable being alone with people who did not care about her. Jane not only cherishes approval but also likes to have a high status in society. She does “not like to belong to poor people,” and to be dropped into their class. Jane knew what she would be striving for, to succeed in life, and she knew that it came with new faces, under new circumstances. Jane was ready to handle any environment in her quest for establishing her individuality. Bronte novel can be interpreted in a number of ways, however the feminist approach is the most valid because its conclusions are drawn after analyzing a Marxist criticism, psychological criticism and many other criticisms that continue to be relevant in the lives of many