Symbolism In Short Story

In “How to read literature like a professor” by Thomas Foster he explains different literary techniques that writers use when writing a story. Some of these techniques were symbolism, tone, major conflicts, foreshadowing and using certain settings. Even though all of these techniques are important to the story, symbolism is more important because it is used the most throughout the book. Symbolism is the use of people or objects to portray a certain idea or quality of something.

Sherman Alexie is a Native American man who is well known for his novels and short stories based on his experiences as a member of many different Native American tribes. In his short story “Indian Education”, Alexie details the struggles with bullying and discrimination one Native American boy went through during his time in school. Although “Indian Education” is written differently from other short stories it still conveys a solid theme and has a well written plot. Alexie’s style is also a benefit to the reader as they make their way through grade school with the main character, Victor.

The use of symbolism in short stories enhances the meaning behind the literal meaning that the plot poses. It connects the reader towards visually connecting symbols to particular concepts in the story. In the story, “The Paring Knife” by Michael Oppenheimer, introduces us to two characters whom are lovers yet through the finding of a paring knife under their refrigerator, a past unfortunate event in their relationship begins to unfold. Symbolism is present all through the story, as even the title suggests at first that the paring knife will be symbolic to understand the meaning of the story. Symbolism is prevalent in “The Paring Knife”, to contribute to the overall significance of the short story.

Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his

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.

One of Victor’s first experiences of racial injustice occurs in second grade when his white missionary teacher discriminates him against his outstanding academic skills and his Indian heritage. Victor has pulled aside and is assigned a junior high-level spelling test; he recalls “When I spelled all the words right, she crumpled up the paper and made me eat it. ‘You’ll learn respect,’ she said” (Alexie 173). Here Victor faces two types of discrimination: the injustice of being singled out from his classmates in order to take a more difficult test, and the injustice of being penalized for performing well on the test. Instead of being praised or awarded for his outstanding ability, Victor is punished severely for his high-level skills by having to eat his test. Later on, the teachers send a note to his parents telling them “to either cut [Victor’s] braids or keep [him] home from class.” This injustice towards Victor’s culture over a hairstyle has no impact on a child’s education or accomplishments. Alexie incorporated this injustice to show the readers that such discrimination occurs and his stories are not fiction. In fact, native women, P. Jane Hafen responds to

Symbolism is a prominent part of many short stories. Within the stories “The Smile”, “The Chrysanthemums”, and “The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas”, symbolism is heavily relied on to fully understand and comprehend each story. Although there are many literary devices used within the short stories, symbolism is predominantly used to develop and bring forth the message of each story.

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 something that represents something else. Like a flag. In 2BR02B It talks about “New Life” and how a painter knows what life is really like or about. And in the pedestrian it talks about how fighting is allowed and encouraged.

Have you ever noticed something in a book that didn’t seem like much on the surface, but the more you thought about it it became clearer that it actually had a deeper meaning, well that is symbolism. The first story is called,“Harrison Bergeron”. The second story is called,”2BR02B”. The third story is called,”The Lottery”.In this informational essay, you will be given examples of symbolism in three different stories.In this informational essay, you will be given many examples of symbolism in these three stories.

Symbols are important in each story to define the theme. Close observation of the symbols within each story proves to one their

In a well-written short story, different literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterly important to the plot line and to the fundamental meaning of the story. Through this use of symbolism, the reader can begin to reveal the hidden themes in this short story.

Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.

The literary world contains a vast collection of works, each employing diverse techniques in writing. One technique commonly found in literature is the use of images and symbols. Symbols are sometimes complex and contain both literal and figurative significance. Symbolism in literature is commonly used to bind the attributes of an object with various segments of a story to provide the reader with a deeper understanding and sometimes hidden meaning. In the short story, “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner utilizes a vast collection of symbols, as a means to enhance the reader’s visual perceptions but also prompts consideration into theories of motive surrounding the murder of Homer Barron.

In Alexie’s vignette, “Indian Education”, these themes of racism and discrimination come up very often when Victor describes the challenges he faced going through school. Victor recalls how his second-grade teacher made him “...stay in for recess for fourteen days straight.‘” (Alexie 172) but he explains that he didn’t do anything to deserve a punishment like this. In this situation, Victor’s teacher is denying him a privilege because of his race. In another circumstance, Victor’s teacher makes Victor apologize for “‘Everything’” (Alexie 172) she then makes Victor “...stand straight for fifteen minutes, eagle-armed with books in each hand.” (Alexie 172-173). During this situation, Victor is forced to perform a specific action as punishment for nothing, this unjust treatment of Victor sparks from the grounds of his race. Once again in second grade, Victor receives another chastisement out of the disapproval of his ethnicity when his teacher, “...crumpled up the paper and made me eat it.” (Alexie 173). Lastly, Victor’s teacher, not accepting Victor’s cultural differences, “She sent a letter home with me that told my parents to either cut my braids or keep me home from class.” (Alexie 173). Victor’s braids are symbols of his culture and ethnicity, and when Victor’s teacher threatens to take away his education if they are not removed, discrimination against Victor is very prominent.