... in The Pearl. The exposition establishes setting, characters, and an initial incident. In the exposition of The Pearl, Steinbeck shows many key elements with one event. When Coyotito, Kino's child is stung by the scorpion, the author shows an important symbol, which lays the groundwork for a multitude of things to come. The rising action introduces the antagonist and brings conflict to The Pearl. After Kino finds the pearl, many neutral characters become antagonists, due to the greedy nature of ... man. An example of this is when ... ...

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

... that suggests an idea or quality. In The Old Man and the Sea the book itself is a symbol. It is a symbol for the human condition, the struggle to survive and maintain one's dignity in an often unkind and heartless world. Another symbol shown in the novel was the lions which where a sign of courage. "He only dreamed of places now and of the lions on the beach. They played like young cats in the dusk and he loved them." ... Santiago was a sailor in his youth, and traveled ... through Santiago. Santiago is like Jesus in the story, because he carries his mast on his shoulder like Jesus carr...

• Word Count: 652
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... as life? as if it was alive?? After returning from the war, Henry is messed up mentally and for a while is not associated with anything other then a television. Once Lyman intentionally messes up the car the author associates the messed up red convertible with the messed up state of mind that Henry is in. In this same part of the story the red convertible reveals the sacrifice Lyman is willing to take to ... off to war the good times of them together vanishes as well. In conclusion, the red convertible is a symbol of the brothers bond and shows how in a story symbols can be used in many...

• Word Count: 472
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps - an eyesore among eyesores" create a juxtaposition of the past and present (75). Discrimination is a theme that has symbolic references in A Rose for Emily. After the Civil War, Jefferson still perpetuates the values of classism and racism. The narrator describes Miss Emily as "a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town" convey a hierarchical society (75). A symbol of racism is Colonel Sartoris ... , whose edict is "that no Negro woman should appear on the street without an apron" (75...

• Word Count: 721
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... its share of themes buried in it. The first theme is a common one used in a variety of works; good vs. evil. In Golding's novel, he uses the "instinct of civilization" to represent good and "the instinct of savagery" to represent evil. This theme is explored throughout the novel and it is the conflict between two competing impulses that exist within all human beings. When all these boys are stranded on the island after the crash ... help in developing the main messages of the themes. One major motif that is present throughout the entire novel is biblical allusions to the bible and Chris...

• Word Count: 916
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... us understand the true thoughts and feelings of each character which brings out the true meanings in the story. A symbol is a sign or an object representing something hidden or invisible and more important or complex than the object itself. The author uses symbolism in this story to make us visualize the setting. The title, The Shawl, itself is a symbol in the story. Throughout the story, the shawl symbolizes the source of warmth and shelter for little Magda. In the story, Magda ... World War II. As a reader, I can say that the symbolism is mainly what makes this story impressive and a ...

• Word Count: 1071
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... it will be okay, the rain continues throughout the rest of the novel. After seeing Catherine's dead body, Frederic "walked back to the hotel in the rain" (Hemingway 332). Not even one sign of painful emotion is mentioned after her death; just the word "rain". "The most famous omen is of course the rain, which accompanies every disaster in the book" (Merrill 575). However, rain is not the only symbol in the novel. While Frederic is in the ambulance, blood was dripping ... from the person above him; "the drops ... ...

• Word Count: 1144
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... finally he looks horrible, and has none in the end. The conch is a symbol of the authority of Ralph. In the beginning, the conch is one of the most respected things on the island, and so is Ralph. However, the authority of the conch begins to go downhill and so does the power of Ralph. The conch also represents Ralph's self-security and independence. Later in the book Piggy is the one holding the conch a lot of the time. This shows that Ralph's security and ... point. This means that as one begins to loose security, leadership, confidence, and independence, the other begins to gain them...

• Word Count: 949
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Charles Dickens uses foreshadowing excellently by hinting, here and there, events that would unfold in his book, A Tale of Two Cities. He uses people as well as imagery as ways of foreshadowing. Examples of foreshadowing in A Tale of Two Cities are Dr. Manette's reaction to meeting Charles Darnay, the symbol of echoing footstepes that Lucie listens to, and Carton saying that he would do " ... ;anything" for Lucie. One example of foreshadowing in the story's rising action is Dr. Manette's reaction to Darnay ... a distance, the rumbled menacingly in the corner all through this space o...

• Word Count: 517
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the fact she worked in a cake shop, "I sank into a smell of doughnuts". The author begins to have dreams about Ellie becoming "half girl and half groceries, this gives the impression that Ellie is turning into a doughnut and that the author wants to eat her. A doughnut becomes the symbol of Ellie. The tone changes from humorous to mock heroic and serious as the writer goes to Ellie's house after ... an invitation for a sexual encounter. The ... writer feels "almost noble" about the "inevitable". This tone is punctuated ... ...

• Word Count: 893
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... mixed emotions on acceptance, alienation and conformity. As seen in the quote "I put on this red Hunting Hat that I'd bought that morning.... at a sports store right after I lost those foils." Holden uses the hat as a symbol of security. After losing the fencing equipment, and disappointing the team, Holden buys the hat in order to comfort himself. The presence of the hat mirrors the central conflict in the book; Holden's need for isolation compared to his need ... for companionship. The hat adds to the complexity of Holden's character. Holden is very self-conscience when wearing ... ...

• Word Count: 1201
• Approx Pages: 5

... stool, and that stool was put in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box on it"(272). The three-legged stool was symbolic because the number three is symbolizes the Holy Trinity. The stool was placed in the center of the town square symbolizes that religion is an important part of the townspeople's lives. The black box that was placed on top of the stool was also a symbol. The color black is closely associated with ... symbolic because it means "of the cross" in French. Finally, Old Man Warner's name is a symbol of the old ways and the unshakable faith in them. The ch...

• Word Count: 1086
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... stool, and that stool was put in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box on it"(272). The three-legged stool was symbolic because the number three is symbolizes the Holy Trinity. The stool was placed in the center of the town square symbolizes that religion is an important part of the townspeople's lives. The black box that was placed on top of the stool was also a symbol. The color black is closely associated with ... symbolic because it means "of the cross" in French. Finally, Old Man Warner's name is a symbol of the old ways and the unshakable faith in them. The ch...

• Word Count: 1058
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Morrison uses many different styles of writing in her novel, including changing the point of view one reads the novel from. Changing the point of view allows the reader to learn more about individual characters" thoughts and backgrounds and adds depth to the novel. An example of this particular style occurs when Sethe and Paul D are in bed together after they have slept together for the first time. We are told about Paul D's true ... ?" Morrison puts Beloved in new shoes because she is a symbol of the past which is constantly renewing itself in the minds of everybody. Colour is also of major i...

• Word Count: 1023
• Approx Pages: 4

... says, it's truly a heart-wrenching story. This novel is exceptionally powerful and stays with you long after you finish. This novel tells the story about the shattering childhood of Jennings Burch. It takes place in the late 1940's early 1950's in New York City. Jennings has been through many things most people could never even imagine. His mother was too sick to care for him and left ... was only thing he could count on during his lost childhood. At one of Jennings's foster homes, he attends school and befriends the bus driver, Sal. After school Sal would help Jennings with all of his ...

• Word Count: 869
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... . In the end of the story the reader then realizes this is not the case. The square also plays a part in the setting. Jackson writes how the day of the lottery "the people of the village began to gather in the square- The square is usually a place for town gatherings and other joyous occasions. The reader gets a sense of solidarity since the entire town shows up for this event. Jackson also wrote, "The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after ... is in charge of the lottery, but he also ran the square dances, the teen-age club, and the Halloween program. Nebeke...

• Word Count: 812
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... to his American parents who support him, as well as his pleasure of things like sea, friends and school. The second letter is the reply to the first, by Alexandros's American parent Mr Bentley who supports him through the relief program. He is now in separation, or perhaps divorced, from his wife and two children. After brief greeting paragraphs, he abruptly tells that "Mrs Bentley and I no ... longer live together" (151) even though he says he had not intended to tell Alexandros this. He tries to distract the topic from his family to political matters in the next paragraph but then aga...

• Word Count: 933
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... yet at the level of self understanding that Maggie is at. Dee after going off to college has a "new" understanding of her heritage. The author enriches the story through the careful descriptions of the principal characters (details of each individual so that the readers could paint a more accurate picture of the story) and the setting, the development of symbols and by using the voice of the first person narrator, telling the story from the mother's point of view. Dee being the distant daughter ... college (she was offered the quilt before and rejected it). Maggie on the other hand saw ...

• Word Count: 844
• Approx Pages: 3

... be different would be you... I mean you'd be different in some way- I can't explain what I mean..." (Salinger, 121-122). For Holden, the museum is a symbol of timelessness, something that is always the same. The only thing that changes upon each visit to the museum is himself and he despises the thought of changing. The idea of never changing and staying frozen in time appeals to Holden, because that would mean he ... a single, "phony idea". Holden desires the idea of being different, to set himself apart from the conforming ideals. Consequently, the effective use of symbolism by Saling...

• Word Count: 725
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... encountered in the novel. Instead of discovering the origins of her fathers whereabouts, the narrator finds herself in a spiritual journey of discovering who she is. In the beginning of Surfacing she describes her self as "missing" and incomplete but after her visit back home she finds her purpose in life. Symbols are representations of a concept in the the form of a material object. In the novel Surfacing, Margret Atwood uses a dead Heron to represent the killing of innocents. The narrator describes the Heron ... still Americans " (134) because she thinks Americans are the only ones ca...

• Word Count: 762
• Approx Pages: 3

... Goold uses a different approach in reenacting the scenes. Unlike the original play of Macbeth, the murder scene of Banquo occurs in a public setting, the train. Goold's execution of Banquo in a public setting demonstrates the power and boldness of Macbeth as a character by having him killed. The murder scenes in the film show how corrupted and power hungry Macbeth has grown to be by the gruesome images of each scene. In the ending of Goold's film, after Macbeth is beheaded, Macbeth and ... desire for ambition is movingly displayed through soliloquies, when the camera focuses on the fier...

• Word Count: 712
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Lord of the Flies Setting and its importance to the theme of the darkness of man's heart. The setting is essential to the theme of the darkness of man's heart, in William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies. The tragic and provocative tale is set somewhere on a tropical island where a group of British boys are stranded after a plane crash, which no "grown-ups" survive. It is wartime, which suggests conflict. However a sense of timelessness is developed in the novel making the era ... pressuring, "and always, almost visible, was the heat". The island is also a symbol in itself, a microcosm, its ...

• Word Count: 817
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... 's nothing intimate or personal about the end of Simon's role in the film. However there is a scene in this movie I found particularly well done, shortly after Simon is murdered there's a flicker of light and a shimmer in the water where his dead body had been. This suggests something spiritual and angelic which Simon is meant to represent. Regardless, without the additional knowledge of the novel I wouldn't have understood the symbol in the film. In the film, Jack's eruption, " "I"m not ... going to play any longer. Not with you!" " (p.127) seems childish and unexpected. Whereas in the ...

• Word Count: 875
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... 's nothing intimate or personal about the end of Simon's role in the film. However there is a scene in this movie I found particularly well done, shortly after Simon is murdered there's a flicker of light and a shimmer in the water where his dead body had been. This suggests something spiritual and angelic which Simon is meant to represent. Regardless, without the additional knowledge of the novel I wouldn't have understood the symbol in the film. In the film, Jack's eruption, " "I"m not ... going to play any longer. Not with you!" " (p.127) seems childish and unexpected. Whereas in the ...

• Word Count: 875
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... outside her window have new leaves growing on them. The smell of rain in the air symbolizes the beginning of life and her new awakening. Perhaps the most vivid symbol appears at the end of this paragraph. It states: "The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eves." The distant song reaching her represent the new life she wishes to lead calling to her ... and highly intelligent short story. The imagery is seen through the many descriptions of rebirth. The reader watches as Louise takes in all of these images ...

• Word Count: 1009
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School