Symbolism In 'The Journey Of Crazy Horse : A Lakota History'

Symbols are often a way to connect the reader to the general theme of a novel, the book Indian Horse is a story of a young Indigenous boy named Saul Indian Horse and all the troubles he went through growing up. Richard Wagamese the author uses symbols like hockey, family and friendship and culture to reinforce a major theme that love can never be broken. The most important symbol in the book is the game of hockey and Saul’s never-ending love for it. While Saul was forced to attend a residential school called St. Jerome’s, he discovered that he is a naturally gifted hockey player.

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.

While literature is can be for entertainment, it is also used to teach a lesson or get a point across. Throughout a literary work, an author will include many possible topics, themes, theories, archetypes, symbols, and ideas to teach their lesson or make their point. As one reads through “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff,” written by Patrick Chamoiseau, it is important to know that the author is not only highlighting the life of a slave, but also expressing everyday struggles through the parallels of the story. While the story focuses on the life of slavery, the Master of the plantation, and a mastiff, it is imperative to analyze the different archetypes in the story. The archetypes are “recurrent as a symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology” (Archetypal). “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff” is comprised of the following literary archetypes: a hero, a dog, a master, and slaves.

In the short story, “The Boat” by Alistair Macleod, symbolism is used to represent an abstract idea. The boat, being a major symbol of the story was the way of life for the family. As the story goes on, the boat starts to make the family feel confined giving them a choice to leave or stay with the boat. There were symbols that impacted the story that had connection towards the boat. Chain bracelets, the father’s clothes, the books that the father read are all symbols that tied to the boat. The father's chain bracelets and clothes represent the father feeling trapped as a fisherman since he never changes out of them. We find out more about the characters and their personal connection with the boat and the other symbols and what it means to them. The family starts to fall apart due to the kids learning about the father’s books leading to them moving away from home. Symbolism is used when one thing is meant to represent something else adding meaning and emotion to the story which is well represented throughout the story.

A person’s journey can have symbols that come through everyone’s life. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. In “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, Eudora describes symbols by using people that come through Phoenix’s path while she’s in her journey to Natchez. Eudora uses a nickel, marble cake, big dead trees, mistletoe, and a white hunter to symbolize Phoenix’s difficulties and obstacles that she had to go through in order to get to her destination.

In many works of literature, many archetypes (or symbols) are used to help the reader understand the story of a hero’s quest. In the Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the hero has to go on a fatal journey to uphold the reputation of Camelot. While enduring that journey, Gawain has to conquer many trails. Gawain’s succession of trials leaves the hero, like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, a “sadder but wiser man.” With all the trials that Gawins intakes, many archetypal characters contribute to the theme of the story.

With every corner we turn in today’s culture, we become more and more aware of the archetypes that surround us. Archetypes are the works of a typical character, situation, setting, or symbol that can be found in fantasy and reality. An example would be the renowned medieval story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet. The author permeates the story with situational, symbolic, and character archetypes that illustrate the profound life of Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was apprehensive of his journey at first, but as time passes, he began to make choices that unveils to the audience the true flawed knight that he was.

The Journey of Crazy HorseThe first seven chapters begin by talking about the early years of Crazy Horse. These years are significant because it shows how he began his life before he went off to fight mighty battles and became known as an excellent warrior. There are many main points in his early years that lead up to him becoming a warrior. Starting off with his birth and childhood, how he learned different virtues, to finally becoming interested in being a warrior. Each time he was involved with killing a white man or protecting the Lakota during a war, helped him in becoming more of a warrior and leader of his people. Then he was also involved in rescuing people from the white man and by doing this, it had proved that the virtues he had

Symbolism allows the reader to go beyond what is known or seen by creating connections between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. In the novel, Motorcycles and Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor, symbolism defies the natural evolution of Native Anishnawbe culture to the current Canadian culture. Three examples illustrate this change. First, the reader is witness to the replacing of Sweetgrass, a symbol of Ojibway culture, to the worship of holy crosses and holy water. Secondly, the reader is exposed to the adaptation of names from the mythical Ojibway figure, Nanabush to those that represent English explorers. Finally, the raccoons that have a profound conflict with the man whose name continues to change. The Sweetgrass, the changing names and the raccoons is symbols that emphasize the theme, dual cultures, which shines a light to the transformation taking place on Native reserves.

A Hunkpapa Lakota chief named Sitting Bull and the history of the Lakota nationhood was the chosen subject of Gary C. Anderson to write a biography on. Although most of the history about Sitting Bull took place back in the eighteen hundreds, Anderson did not come out with his book tell around 1995. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers published the book in 1996. The book follows the history of Sitting Bull and the native Indians fight with the "white man" over land.

“Symbol means a thing that represents or stands for something else.” O’Conner encounters the streets, as symbol, illustrates Tom Shiftlet’s “home.”

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

Have you ever wondered what something meant, like the symbols of a story? Do you ever pay attention to it? You probably haven’t, but symbols are a good thing to look for in a book. The symbol helps you grasp the story more, helps make an understanding, and it can also help you predict the next action and more. Like in the stories: “Once Upon a Time” by Nacline Gordimer, “Night Calls” by Lisa Fugard, and “Quilt of a Country” by Anna Quindlen.

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.