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Symbolism In The Scarlet Ibis And Marigolds

Decent Essays

Comparative Analysis essay
Some believe that in life, everything is connected. What we know for sure is in stories, this can be true. Symbolism, by the dictionary's definition is an artistic and poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. This literary device assists the reader in accomplishing a deeper understanding of the theme and the story as a whole. In both James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis" and Eugenia Collin's "Marigolds" the authors use symbolism for the reasons stated above.
The first example of symbolism comes from "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst. Basically, in this short story, a boy has a disabled brother named Doodle and is the only one to push …show more content…

The bird was carried by the storm and soon dies. This is mirrored at the end by Doodle. During another storm, while trying to get home he dies. In a less literal sense, symbolism is shown here because it represents how far Doodle has come, just to have his progress knocked away by yet another bad circumstance. This aids in the comprehension of what I believe is the theme, freedom and confinement, by emphasizing how Doodle was trapped by his disability and how the brother is no longer chained down by the responsibility of caring for the other. Symbolism is also shown in the form of Doodle's coffin. Brother shows him the coffin, forces him to touch it and tells him how everyone thought he was going to die. This represents the looming presence of death. Throughout the whole story, the coffin was waiting there in the barn. Even if he had outgrown it, no one threw it away. Freedom and confinement is shown here because Doodle is trapped by everyone's expectations of him. If an early death did not await him, a life of hardship and struggle did. The last and most constant symbol in "The Scarlet …show more content…

One interpretation of the marigold's meaning is passion in the middle of forlorn town. The Narrator describes her memory of the town as dusty and grey, the grumpy old woman seemingly had one joy, the one burst of color in her dull life, tending to her garden. Once the girl ruin this, the old woman seems done, for there was no more reason to care. Her passion for creating beauty in the somber world died. This adds to the theme of growing by showing how, with age and the experiences, people change. The marigolds could also be seen as Lizabeth's innocence, once flourishing and now destroyed. In the story after hearing her parents argue about money she recognizes life isn't how she thought. Shortly after, she sneaks out to destroy the marigolds. Once caught, she realizes the severity of her actions, she is no longer naïve. The theme is assisted by this because it shows the process of her transitioning from a child to a young

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