The setting and symbolism are great ways to evolve characters, reveal underlying connections, and provide the reader with hints of meanings about the story and characters. The short story written by Amy Tan, called “A Pair of Tickets” uses the setting, and symbolisms in the main characters self discovery, reveal aspects of their lives to the readers, and relate things to a deeper meaning.
Throughout the story the main character, June May, develops immensely through the setting by finding parts of herself she thought didn’t exist, and strengthening the ties to her family while coming to terms with the past. Developing the character through the setting starts right off the bat. While June May lived in San Francisco, she constantly denied who
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Colors play into the story as more than just a repeated symbol. From the beginning to the end of the story the colors pink, green, brown, and yellow showed up. By looking at the meaning of colors in the Chinese culture it can been seen that these colors represent the seasons of June Mays life and the transformation that occurred within her. For starters, in past memories of her mother, when June May was against her culture, she would include colors of pink which in traditional times in China did not have a significant meaning; “being color-blind to the fact that lemon yellow and pale pink are not good combinations for winter clothes” (264). This is significant because of the nonsignificance of the color pink, and how her heritage was insignificant to her at the time. Also, it's important to note the use of pink clothing during the winter. Winter typically signifies death, and not much growth. These are the case in the aspect of June May’s ties to her heritage. Once June May begins her journey new colors appear; “all he is seeing outside of the train window is a sectioned field of yellow, green, and brown” (264). Green in China's culture means new beginnings, which is exactly what June May was experiencing on her way to China, a new beginning into the life of the past and her family. Colors play into the end of the story as a reflectance of the change that June May has gone through; “The gray-green surface changes to the bright colors of our three images, sharpening and deepening all at once.” (276). This shows that before her transition occurred, her family pride was dull and at the start of its path, but as it, the picture and her journey, developed, so did her ties to China, brightening, sharpening, and
The author of American history, uses many colors to symbolize things in the story. In this story, it uses colors such as gray, green, and flower colors (red, yellow, purple,) to symbolize the emotions throughout the story. Colors may not have too much meaning at first Justin glance, but if you go back and read it over, you may be able to pick up on something that you didn’t he first time.
The color red symbolics all of the colors and how each can have numerous emotions coming
Setting explores the main idea of disempowerment and isolation and aptly allows the audience to contrast it with the life of the main character. From the story, we are told that the setting is in a newsagency shop in a country town near a harbour. We are also told that the country town has a smelly harbour breeze. By using the country town as the setting, the author has placed us as readers to imagine isolation and places being far away, making it easier to convey ideas of the story. The isolation of the country town illustrates the life of the main character. She is isolated and stuck in the shop and town where she has no power to leave due to her parents. For example, “Once a day the big Greyhound rolled past going north to the city” and “Sometimes she would bicycle out to the edge of town and look along the highways”. Using the word city, the author is creating an atmosphere of adventure and the highway creates a sense of belonging. Through setting, the author is able to covey the main idea of isolation and disempowerment effectively and letting us as readers connect the relationship between the setting and the main character’s life.
Every story has a setting. Whether it is in this world or one that is completely imaginary, the setting of any story is necessary in order to understand the characters. The characters in the following three short stories are shaped by their setting and would not be the same if the setting was different. Over the course of each story it is easy to see how vital the setting is in order for the reader to fully understand the characters and their lives. Therefore, while the reader reads these stories they must analyze how the setting affects the characters, the obstacles that the setting creates, and what it tells us about the characters.
June’s story dealt with the concepts of superstition and cultural differences. The beginning of the chapter, June is describing a necklace given to her by her mother. The pendant was, “too large, too green, too garishly ornate” (pg. 197. June).
Colors are apart of our everyday lives. They help us on dreaming, creating and increasing youthfulness. The author used colors to illustrate an importance behind objects, emotions, and characters. The various colors symbolize location, character traits and appearances.
Including her temporary environments, the transportation that June May uses throughout the story mirrors her release of resistance as she is encouraged to learn more about her mother and homeland. The transportation usage in the story symbolizes June May changing throughout the course of her journey. Transportation indicates movement and includes an origination and a destination. In the beginning of “A Pair of Tickets,” June May travels by train, and expresses how different she feels. Readers observe June May’s internal transformation as she enters her destination in Guangzhou, China. June May states that she “can feel the skin on [her] forehead tingling, [her] blood rushing through a new course, [her] bones aching with a familiar old pain. And [thinks], [her] mother was right. [She is] becoming
In literature, red is often associated with blood and violence. Four researchers, Erella Hovers, Shimon Ilani, Ofer Bar-Yosef, and Bernard Vandermeersch, studied colored symbolism and concluded; “Color symbolism is one of the symbolic frameworks used extensively by contemporary societies to convey information and abstract messages through material objects” (Hovers et al.,2003.) Through the use of colors, May vividly expresses the emotions of the speaker towards society, regarding the topics of warfare and education. He specifically selects certain colors, like black and red, to stir up emotions within Jontae. The colors create a symbolic image, ultimately leading up to represent the violent scenes taking place. May writes his fear; “I know how often red is the only color left to reach” (18-19), to show his apprehension for Jontae a young male in society surrounded by warfare. Red in literature often represents blood, sacrifice, and violence. Using colors throughout the poem, creates a more vehement atmosphere, in which Jontae is left to choose between warfare, and discovering his identity in an alternative
One of the most prominently negative experiences with the color is when the characters attended a carnival and see dying, rotting red roses leading up the gates. While walking characters could smell the “stench of rotten roses” (Morrison 56). Analyzing deeper, readers can realize that the red roses are more than just what they seem to be but rather a metaphor for the character’s mortality and sufferings of the past.
Firstly, the change of colour resulted from Jennifer’s date. A red rose appeared in a garden and it was the only coloured flower. The red rose symbolizes love and passion, a feeling that is absent in Pleasantville. It also advances the plot because the change allows Pleasantville to be similar to the modernized society. The absent feeling of love and passion displays the lack of comprehension the people possess because they convey no knowledge about love and passion.
The theme of the novel is that everything is not what it seems. This was demonstrated when the author wrote “I didn't know there was a sketch on my painting. I flip over the paper, to see what dad has written on the back. Theres the date, 5 years ago. And the words Eloise, Les Deux Chemins. Wait. I don't understand”(Friedman 158). This quote demonstrates the theme because she thought the skech was of her but it was really something else. The sketch was of her secret sister Eloise that she did not know she had. When Summer found out that the painting of what she thought was her for the past 5 years was actually someone else she was shocked and she was also upset with her dad for not telling her.
Contrasting places have been used in many works of literature throughout history to strengthen the meaning of stories. The use of two different settings within one story often represents opposed forces or ideas, and allows readers to get a better grasp of the meaning behind the
White is a colour normally associated with purity and innocence. After reading some of the text, we realize that Daisy is far from pure and innocent. 2) The Valley of Ashes, as it represents the moral and social dilemmas that arise from the pursuit of wealth without the consideration of others. 3) The Green Light at the end of Daisy’s dock, as it is symbolic of Jay Gatsby’s American Dream; his pursuit to “change the past” and regain Daisy’s love.
In the short story, “A Red Dress 1946” by Alice Munro, Color imagery is used for signifying a girls point of view of her world and her own self by using the color red which represents nonconformity. The narrator has only a slight interest in being red, but she really wants to be blue, just like everyone else. Munro writes, “When I was asked a question in class, any simple little question at all…that I had blood on my skirt”.(2) The narrator is just so nervous about being red she is thinking of bad things that can happen with the color red. She is thinking of all the bad times the color red could do a girl badly, just like a girls period could leak at any moment. In “A Red Dress 1946”, a short story by Alice Munro, she uses Color Imagery to show the significance of the narrator’s view of the color red and all the “Evil” about it.
According to Kong, “Red in Chinese culture symbolizes ‘luck’ and ‘popularity’ and is commonly used in important rituals and ceremonies…the color red is a vital signifier that is often charged with a special ironic power” (123). Red is often associated with passion and lust, though the latter is true to this film, the symbolic representation of red amount to sexuality as a means of gaining political power within the Chen household. The dining table scene where 3rd mistress arrives fashionably late dressed in a bright red gown shows that she currently holds the power in the amongst the four mistresses.