Symbolism, by definition is the use of symbols to represent ideas and qualities. Arguably one of the most powerful literary techniques, symbolism aids to create a sense of understanding and awakens a forthright emotion in the mind of the reader. The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the novel I have chosen to read the use of symbolism is made common by the author, Mark Twain. Though there is more than one, the most critical and influential symbolism is the Mississippi river. Opposing the river is the pendulum. In the short story, the pit and the pendulum, a horror fiction by Edgar Allen Poe, the pendulum plays a significant part and is a key element of its plot. Contrasting the symbolisms of these classic literature works will illuminate their respective strengths and weaknesses. …show more content…
It is their best choice of transportation as it helps them be unobtrusive. The river also protects them as there is a reward of $300 for Jim, the slave who used to work for the widow. Rivers are generally considered to be placid and to have a sense of tranquility. These characteristics, in a figurative aspect are similar to that of hope. In Greek mythology hope was the last thing that came out of Pandora’s Box, the one thing that would help mankind cope with all the evil in the world. Likewise the Mississippi river is a symbol of hope that helps Huck and Jim on their onerous and bizarre adventure. Huck is hoping he will escape his abusive father, the widow’s efforts to ‘sivilize’ him, but most importantly he seeks an adventure made apparent with the title itself. For Jim it is hope, that one day he will free his family from slavery that pushes him on. Both Jim and Huck knowingly or unknowingly, depend on the river. The bottom line is that Twain uses the Mississippi river to symbolize the great hope that resides in the main characters, thus elevating the reader’s outlook towards the
Symbolism, symbolism the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Throughout the book, The Other Side, the author uses symbolism. In the book Anne, a young white girl, says, “Someday somebody’s going to come along and knock this old fence down.” She does not mean the fence itself, she means the boundary between blacks and whites. The fence in the book is a boundary between the houses in the neighborhood.
Symbolism is the use of an object, person, situation, or word to represent something else, according to a video on Study Academy's website. An example of symbolism in “The Scarlet Ibis” reads “Even death did not mar its grace, for it lay on the earth like a broken vase of red flowers, and we stood around it, awed by its exotic beauty” (Hurst 473). Doodle, much like the scarlet ibis, left the family in awe. After Doodle’s many accomplishments, their family could not believe what they had just seen.
Huckleberry Finn is also lifted into great literary status by Twain’s compelling use of symbolism. An example of this symbolism is the Mississippi River. Throughout the novel, the river symbolizes life’s journey and, eventually, Huck’s natural integrity. It represents a place of ease and safety for both Huck and Jim. There is a major difference between their life on the river and their life on the land. On the river, life for Huck is peaceful and easy yet not without its dangers, whilst life on the land is most often cruel, demanding, and deceitful. Another example is how life on the raft is a paradox because, even
The symbolism of the Mississippi river throughout Mark Twain’s famous novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is beautifully painted to represent the river as not only as a path to freedom but a place of refuge as well as a second home. The river allows Huck to escape from not only physical imprisonment but also mental captivity of society’s standards and norms and therefore decides to abandon the society, and the way to accomplish this is through the river. Mississippi river functions as both an escape route away from civilization as well as a route to freedom for Huck and
For tenth grade Honors English we had to read Animal Farm by George Orwell, and The Green Mile by Stephen King. We then had to choose one literary device and discus how both authors used it in their books. I chose symbolism because it leaves the reader with a new way of thinking about communism and the death row, it adds more depth to the story, and it makes a connection with two different times in history. Webster Dictionary defends symbolism as 1) representation by symbols, 2) a system of symbols, and 3) symbolic meaning. Symbolism plays an important role in both Animal farm and The Green Mile.
Mark Twain also demonstrates how undesirable civilized society really is. Both Huck and Jim desire freedom, which greatly contrasts the existing civilization along the river. They both turn to nature to escape from the unprincipled ways of civilization. Huck wants to escape from both the proper, cultured behavior of Miss Watson and Widow Douglas and the tyranny of his father. Jim, on the other hand, hopes to escape from slavery and start a new life as a free man, hopefully with his own family eventually. Throughout the novel, the raft enables Huck and Jim to escape from the barbarism of their society to a place of serenity and peace, which is always on their raft, away from any other people. Through the duration of the story, Huck learns and does many things that would be contrary to the beliefs of society such as helping Jim
1. What kind of work did Martha Smith do while her children were growing up? List some of the chores she performed?
The river helps create freedom from their rotten society because it forces theme to see different situations through their own point of view. The novel illustrates a time period were black were mainly slaves and seen as nothing more than workers with no real emotions or thoughts. It then shows the boy's struggle with breaking the racial and judgmental ideals that have been firmly instilled in him by society. Along the story of the novel, Finn is faced with the challenges of his thoughts taught to him from his past society about slaves. The idea that they are not human but in fact just a possession of their owner. As karen shows from her research of the book,“ Huck is surprised by the incidences of humanity shown by Jim. From two significant events in the novel, readers begin to see Huck's questioning of the logic behind society's opinion of African Americans and also the development of morality within a child.” Once hucks pre-existing ideas are changed, he now sees Jim in a new light. They both find ways to relate to each other and over time Huck learns that Jim is not so different. Towards the beginning of the book (because of society) you could say that Huck is somewhat racist. By the end of the book with the help along the river opening up Huck's eyes and giving him back some of his own freedom. He now sees that Jim is the same and they are now very close. They both care about each other, and even though
In �The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn�, the Mississippi River plays several roles and holds a prominent theme throughout much of the story as a whole. Huckleberry Finn and Jim are without a doubt the happiest and most a peace when floating down the river on their raft. However, the river has a much deeper meaning than just a compilation of water. It almost goes to an extent of having its own personality and character traits. The river offers a place for the two characters, Huck and Jim, to escape from everybody and even everything in society and leaves them with a feeling of ease. In the middle section of Huckleberry Finn, the river takes on more of a concrete meaning and will be discussed more so in the paragraphs that follows.
In the novel “How to Read Literature like a Professor” the author, Thomas Foster, analyzed and broke down many literary techniques and reoccurring themes in literature. One of the most widely used literary techniques as shown in the novel was Symbolism. Symbolism is heavily used in literature from precipitation and weather to politics, almost everything we read in literature is a form of symbolism.
Symbolism is a major literary device that helps people see a book through symbols that often have a deeper meaning. A symbol is used to explain something in a different way, using images, objects, etc. instead of just saying it in words. As you search for a deeper meaning in a work of art or literature it can help you understand the authors intentions and the deeper significance of a work. In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, symbols help reinforce the major themes of the book.
Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.
Many novels have used symbolism to express certain feelings and emotions in discreet ways. What is symbolism? "The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships" (Dictionary.com). Numerous authors use the same denotations to illustrate different thoughts or ideas. Mark Twain uses various symbols, such as the river and the land to expose freedom and trouble in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The Mississippi River is where a lot of action is taken place. Huck and Jim travel down this channel of water to set them apart from St. Petersburg. The river rids them of slavery, civilization, and frauds. The Mississippi River, in this novel, symbolizes freedom.
The Mississippi river is one of the most widely recognized symbols of freedom in the novel. It is used as a means of escape by both Huck Finn and Jim. The first time it is used as such is when Huck runs away from his father and the possibility of being forced back into society. Huck devised an elaborate scheme to escape via the river. He had a few close calls but when he saw his chance he took it: “I didn't lose no time. The next minute I was a-spinning down-stream soft, but quick, in the shade of the bank. I made two mile and a half, and then struck out a quarter of a mile or more toward the middle of the river,” (pg. 48).Without the aid of the river Huck’s departure