... to eat showed how Torvald was a dictator and controlled what she did. Torvald's actions were much like how a child would play with a doll in a dollhouse, and Nora was the doll. This was no doll's house though; this was life or death. Nora took a huge risk in forging her father's signature ... single woman who had to be self-supporting, Kristine had a very difficult life. Like all Victorian women, Kristine was controlled by men. The death of her father forced her to care for her sick mother and two younger brothers. She was forced to marry a well-to-do husband whom she didn't ... want ...

• Word Count: 1148
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... hinting that it was Christmas time and using phrases that compare her long and grueling journey to life itself. Some physical characteristics of Phoenix, such as her hair and eyes, contribute to the symbolism of youth and age in the story. The author makes it obvious that Phoenix is old. Old usually makes the reader think gray hair, but Phoenix's hair was still ... was making that journey before that cabin was ever boarded up. It was surely a symbol of death when the black dog knocked old Phoenix into the ditch. A few phrases Christian symbolism are mentioned throughout the story includ...

• Word Count: 512
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... make these difficult decisions for us. In this short story, "Hills like White Elephants", Hemingway relies on the use of symbolism throughout the story to describe a very complex issue that has encountered Jig and The American, the main characters in the story. ... detailed in trying to understand what the couple is trying to portray and the reader must rely on the use of symbolism to fully comprehend the storyline. The author relies on the symbolism of the title, the setting, and the indecisiveness between the couple to tell his story. First published in 1927, the ... short-story elabo...

• Word Count: 814
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... become a new person. Finally the river symbolizes his Fate, which changes his view on life, and he finally conquers him self. The first Symbolism of the river is "Reflection". The river is like a mirror to Siddhartha. Siddhartha has left his family in his youth so he could find a ... a corrupted person. He hated the person he had become. Negetive thoughts about himself went through his head. "Might the fishes devour him, this dog of a Siddhartha, this madman, this corrupted and rotting bady, this sluggish and misused soul" (89)! He wanted to destroy himself. Siddhartha becomes so confus...

• Word Count: 702
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Edgar Allen Poe is known for his use of symbolism. That is apparent in one of his best-known short stories, The Masque of the Red Death. There are endless examples and interpretations of symbolism in this story. It must be studied at a literal and allegorical level in order to be truly understood. The major symbols in this story are the ebony clock, Prince Prospero, ... and the seven colored rooms. First of all, this huge ebony ... the black room. All his followers rush behind him to unmask the mysterious Red Death and they all die as well. This short story is chockfull of symbolism and alle...

• Word Count: 573
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... is about a man wearied and saddened by life. In both poems the speaker has too choose between two paths in life. He used symbolism, figurative language, and sound in several of ways in both of his poems. The road symbolizes the choices he has to make in his life. In the poem, "The Road Not Taken" ... journey. The speaker has a choice to stay in the woods or to move on to where he is going. As they make a stop on the darkest evening of the year in the snowy woods, the horse gives his bells a shake because he is not certain as to why they have stopped where no farmhouse is near. ... no...

• Word Count: 656
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the world portrayed. This quote is proven true in both Night by Elie Wiesel and "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower," by Stephen Chbosky. Both Elie Wiesel and Stephen Chbosky use the literary elements of conflict and symbolism to show that only when things are the worst is when the positive sides in life are revealed ... their fathers because they saw them as weak and wanted to fight for themselves. Elie struggled between choosing his father, or life and was uncertain of what decision he should make. Eventually Elie learns that staying with his father is the right thing to do because he was ...

• Word Count: 584
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... ; this philosophy is conveyed in his story when Jack reported to the tribe "He says the beast comes out of the sea (Golding 88)". In saying this it, shows death comes from the water too. Golding's symbolism of water as death is depicted when some of the young boys within the story die. Each time a young boy dies "the sea breathed again in a long ... , slow sigh, the water boiled white and pink over the rock; and when it went, sucking back again, the body of Piggy was gone (Golding 181)" engulfed by his ... by himself to find the beast. Simon also represents purity by always practicing ri...

• Word Count: 659
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

"Animal Dreams" is a novel rich in symbolism. There were symbols relating to Grace"s past, Codi's relationship with Hallie, and life. The references to bones in "Animal Dreams" were also symbols. The bones symbolize memory and death. For example, the "skeletons of cows" (7) in chapter two symbolize the memory of war and the Nazi's ruthlessness. In this instance, the bones were buried and dug up ... also represent the deaths and casualties caused by the Germans. Another example is Cosima's stillbirth. She describes the bones of her baby as "liquefying, [and] leaking out" (52). Here, she is try...

• Word Count: 257
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... a seat in an armchair that we learn is "facing an open window." In a metaphor of symbolism, Mrs. Mallard begins to examine the changing weather outside leaving the reader a glimpse of her changing emotions and viewpoint inside. The transparency of window allows this incredible symbolic vision to unfold in front of the reader. The window is not only our view into her emotional heart but also ... is shorter than people think and sets out to enjoy hers. Mallard died of happiness when she saw that her husband had not died in the train crash. However, her death came sooner than anyone expect...

• Word Count: 496
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Kate Chopin uses many different elements to create the theme of "The Story of an Hour." Irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing are important elements that create the theme. The theme of "The Story of an Hour" is the frailty of life. Irony is the first element of "The Story of an Hour." The main irony in the story is that Mrs. Mallard has a new life created and then destroyed for ... story is known. A new life was created and destroyed all within an hour, showing how frail life is. There are also several instances of symbolism in this story that help the theme of frailty of life. The "new spring ...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... pictured as man who gives the speaker the ride of eternity. Dickinson dramatizes the conflict of life and the peaceful eternity of death. She develops an unusual interpretation of death, and while doing this, she creates images that provoke distinctive thoughts. Throughout the poem, Dickinson uses different types of figurative language, and imagery like metaphor, repetition and symbolism and others; these help her create a poem that ... people can understand it in many ways. In the first two stanzas of "Because I could not stop for Death", figurative language and symbolism are used. The...

• Word Count: 1192
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... by Timothy Findley is not a very long novel, it packs a punch. The major reason for this so-called punch is not because of the plot line, but because of the imagery in the novel that brings it to life. This gives the novel a meaning that is found on a deeper level, ... into that time; they are windows into the past and into peoples lives. The knowledge that these photos show history brings up the idea of the past, of things long gone, or long dead. A saying that is often used at funerals and said about ones who have passed on is "Ashes ... that Findley was able to bring the book about f...

• Word Count: 879
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... with the death idea", and we see examples of this all throughout the novel. While some of the symbolism is blatant, there are occasions that require the reader to be alert of, or even consciously probe for it, and in order to successfully understand the point, the reader must be aware of Aschenbach's endeavours early on. The symbolism of death is most obvious, ranging from the skeleton ... -like exotic stranger (pg.198-99) encountered in the opening, to the gondolier (pg. 215-17), evidently embodying Charon, ferryman of the Styx in Hades. Nevertheless, let us focus on Aschenbach's role i...

• Word Count: 1221
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Chopin's "The Story of an Hour." Through the character of Louise, Chopin is able to illustrate the negative effects of living in a society in which women were subordinate to their husbands. This paper will examine how Chopin reveals this theme through setting, imagery, symbolism, and irony. Chopin is ... able to illustrate the small world Louise lived in by having the entire setting take place in one room. After Louise hears the news of her husband's death, she retreats to her room and ... her own house. Chopin also utilizes symbols to illustrate Louise's circumstance. For example, we ...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... poet brings up a lot of themes such as fear of the Jews, their persecution or even the power of Hitler and the Nazi regime. W.H. Auden effectively presents the suffering of the German Jews through animalistic imagery, symbolism, the use of contrasts and repetition which emphasise the inevitability of the fate of the Jews. The author ... and the amount of darkness surrounding the Jews. The word "alive" is used to symbolise hope and even a relief knowing that they still exist and have another chance of surviving. The writer also uses symbolism to express a deeper meaning to the theme (suff...

• Word Count: 1008
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is a short, yet complex piece. In only a few paragraphs, Chopin manages to describe the final hour or Mrs. Louise Mallard while giving the reader hidden details about her life. This story is overflowing with symbolism. The most prominent theme that I perceived was a longing to be free ... . Chopin uses words that would that would suggest imprisonment in the first few paragraphs of the story. After Mrs. Mallard has reflected upon her situation and realized ... She thinks that Louise might be endangering her health. Responding to her sister demands, she fina...

• Word Count: 829
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... nothing but dried up plants. What she finds in that park and other places as well is the best thing of all: life. Through the skillful use of characterization and symbolism, Kingsolver shows that people stumble upon life in the most unlikely places. Taylor, the character who stumbles upon the majority ... of objects that can be connected with life, is the main character. When Taylor, Lou Ann, and Turtle ... there was nothing- (112). Taylor might have had the impression that there was nothing for her in Pittman County, but that small town was full of life. Teenaged girls were always ge...

• Word Count: 1076
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... setting represents both the character's moods, and the characters themselves. Setting is constantly used to describe Mattie. Mattie is, quite often, compared to spring, a symbol of life. Mattie comes to Starkfield in the springtime. When she comes, she becomes Ethan's reason for living. She is really the only life in the household, ... the color red. She has a red scarf, red ribbon in her hair, a red bedspread, and red lips and cheeks. The color red is symbolic of life and love, as Ethan falls in love with Mattie. When Ethan is with Mattie, the setting seems to go from gray and sorrowfu...

• Word Count: 275
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... characters. Throughout the story Jackson does a great job of giving a deeper meaning of just about everything in this story. She portrays a lot of symbolism and ironic meanings in the story through the technique she uses to put together the setting of the story all the way down to the characters" ... out which makes the title very ironic and suspenseful. Jackson does a great job at dropping in clues to the audience also, sort of a sense of foreshadowing that something isn't right in this community even though it seems like your normal everyday farming community. Shirley's whole point in...

• Word Count: 992
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... ballad that affects Gabriel's wife Gretta strangely. After the party, as they walk back in the snow to their hotel room, Gabriel experiences feelings of great passion for his wife. When he approaches her in the hotel room, however, she breaks into tears, and informs him about a former lover ... the other human beings around him, and he has joined the ranks of the contemporary walking dead. The thing that stands out the most in reading "The Dead- is the symbolism of snow that Joyce uses. Joyce uses the symbolism to draw a parallel between the natural way in which the snow covers ... the ...

• Word Count: 997
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... he "would not have to fail at writing [his thoughts] down" (Hemingway 828); therefore, Harry does not fight against death. When Harry's death occurs, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" states that people could hear "a strange, human, almost crying sound" (Hemingway 842). It connects Harry's physical death the hyena since the hyena's crying sound connects with ... Hemingway constructs the story in flashbacks to Harry's past as Harry, mortally injured, waits for death. Hemingway demonstrates his artistic talent by portraying the story of a writer's life of self-examination, revealing his own strug...

• Word Count: 1114
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography

In reading "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, I found that there was very much symbolism in the selection, and that a closer look must be taken in order to see the true meaning of the story. The first sentence of the story "knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble, great care was taken to ... break to her as gently as possible the news of her husbands death." ... the main character is that she has a bad heart. It seems that people would see Mrs. Mallard as a weak and fragile woman. I personally got an image of an old lady, which I later figured she wasn't that old. Her h...

• Word Count: 802
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... couple must make. The railroad symbolizes the halfway point between an important decision that needs to be made. "The station was between two lines of rails"(Hemingway 170). A man and a woman are located in the middle of the tracks, just as they are in the middle about the decision on abortion. The couple does not know whether to keep the baby or ... discuss and decide on a life-altering decision (Hemingway 170). Both sides of the Ebro River represent the positives and negatives of the abortion. On the opposite side of where the couple sits, there " were fields of grain and trees along ...

• Word Count: 516
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... of "A Mystery of Herosim" The theme of "A Mystery of Herosim" is the foolishness and pointlessness of war. Through his use of symbolism, Crane shows how war costs a very high price to accomplish its trivial goal. The story follows the soldier Collins on his impulsive journey to get water from a well across a dangerous field. Although Collins could easily be killed in doing this, he takes the joking suggestions of ... comrades as a dare and goes anyway. After leaving, he realizes that he has been partly motivated by pride and wonders how his "quaint emotions" have led him into the face o...

• Word Count: 377
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School