The most obvious symbol in the play, Mama's plant represents both Mama's care and her dream for her family. In her first appearance onstage, she moves directly toward the plant to take care of it. She confesses that the plant never gets enough light or water, but she takes pride in how it anyway grows well/decorations/shows and waves under her care. Her care for her plant is just like her care for her children, absolute and total/without any limits or restrictions and (lasting forever) (even though there is the existence of) a less-than-perfect (surrounding conditions) for growth. The plant also shows (by using a physical object to represent an idea or emotion) her dream to own a house and, more specifically, to have a garden and a yard. With
Lena’s plant represents her will to survive, despite her dreary circumstances. “ Lord if this little old plant doesn’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again,” ( Act I Scene I, pg 1550). Just like her plant, Lena has barely been given enough to
The most symbolic element in nature that is commonly used in novels is a flower. Flowers have been used in various genres of literature and just like a specific color, authors use a specific flower to convey and to communicate different types of messages. For example, a rose can be used to represent simplicity, beauty, love or even lust, whereas a white daisy can be used to represent innocence and purity. Margaret Atwood also uses flowers repetitively in her novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood’s motif of flowers, clearly represent the love, and fertility associated with the woman in the Gilead society; Offred’s most important role of bearing children and her desires are demonstrated through the flower’s descriptions.
Towards the back half of the play, Mama starts to represent Mama’s hope for a better future. The symbolization of Mama’s plant begins this transition when Mama starts to talk about the new house she bought for her
”(Hasberry 144). This quote shows Mama's perseverance even when faced with a really big problem that could affect them financially. The plant was not just a plant, it showed how the younger family could move on even in their struggles with just hope and
Another character that is connected to a flower is Mrs. Maudie because just like the Azaleas she keeps positiveness even though she's surrounded by negativity. The author quotes, “Always wanted a smaller house, Jem
Mama concerns herself only with the fact that she and her family will own the house, and not have to dwell in the tired, old apartment on Chicago's Southside. In a sense, Mama's dream has "crust[ed] and sugar[ed] over like a sugary sweet" (Hughes Lines 7-8). Her dream has changed to fit the circumstances she must cope with. The character of Mama represents those who do not shrivel up and die just because their dream does.
The weeds must be puled so there is more room for the flowers, which is symbolic to the system that every time someone is born, someone must die. Another example of symbolism is the messy drop cloth. The drop cloth is not clean. It has flaws and the old painter decided to show the readers that the drop cloth is a better representation of life than the picture because life is messy and people could not see
A subtle use of symbolism occurs when the mother uses the iron. The iron is described to have never made direct contact with the ironing board this is because a piece of clothing in the way acting as a barrier. This is the same in relation to the narrator and Emily, the mother can never show Emily the love she wants and needs because over time so man barriers has come between them. In addition to the iron, another use of symbolism occurs at the convalescent home that Emily is brought to after she gets ill. This in turn represents the mother’s inability to properly take care of her daughter. The balcony that the girls stand on is an emotional representation of the distance that has now surfaced from the lack
The purple hibiscuses that grow at Aunty Ifeoma’s house in Nsukka are described as in the novel “rare, fragrant, with undertones of freedom”!!!!!. They are the most important symbols in the text (as can be seen from the novel’s title) as they represent acts of defiance and freedom to speak out The presence of these flowers!!!! “began to lift the silence” at home. Jaja’s hides the cuttings of the flowers from Nsukka in the fridge as he is afraid that Papa will confiscate them, therefore crushing his rebellion. The contrast between the purple and red hibiscuses symbolism is extremely effective in developing the theme of freedom vs. oppression. It is the love, warmth, laughter and free expression what they experience in Nsukka, home of the purple
The violet flower is a “bore profusion of purple blossoms, each of which had the lustre and richness of a gem,” but also it is the most poisonous of all the flowers and Rappaccini “…avoided their actual touch, or the direct inhaling of their odors…” for being fatal (Hawthorne). The violet plant also is associated with Beatrice because Beatrice is beautiful and poisonous as the flower. The violet color is a product of the mixture of the red and blue color, which can mean the combination of the good and of the evil in the story. As well as the violet color symbolizes the mixture of the good and evil, Rappaccini can symbolize the good and the evil because when he creates the poisonous flowers, his intention is not to harm his daughter but to make her beautiful and fearful. When Rappaccini says to his daughter: “…Does thou deem it misery to be endowed with marvelous gifts, against which no power nor strength could avail an enemy? …Would thou, then, have preferred the condition of a weak woman, exposed to all evil, and capable of none?,” (Hawthorne). Rappaccini expresses that he tries to protect his daughter, but he forgets to give her love ends up isolating her from the real world. Hawthorne uses this symbol of the
I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas connects to Santiago’s vision that a war is coming on page 102. Santiago sees two hawks and when one attacks the other he sees an image of an army coming. The camel driver informs Santiago to inform the local chieftains of the local armies coming for the oasis. Santiago doesn’t think the chieftains will believe him but the camel driver tells him that they deal with omens. Santiago arrives at a large white tent in the middle of the oasis where is were they gather and tells the guard he had an omen. The guard goes and tells all the chieftains the story and Santiago is forced to stand outside the tent until nightfall. The old man in the middle discusses the story of a man named Joseph that saved Egypt from
It also functions as transportation for minerals and food to the other parts, much like how Mama conveys her strength and wisdom throughout the family. When one imagines a stem of any plant, whether it is a large tree in a forest, or a small plant in a windowsill, the same illusion and symbolism comes to mind. The symbolic nature that a stem holds up heavy branches above qualifies as strength and stability. Mama is not solely one part of this plant, but all parts in different contexts. The lack of light that the plant gets lessens the chances of its survival, but the neither plant nor Mama give up. Discussing about her "children and they tempers," Mama then addresses that if her "little old plant don't get more sun than it's been getting it ain't never going to see spring again" (Act 1, scene 1, 40). The "light" symbolizes the energy the plant needs in order to grow, and her family desperately needs the same. Mama knows that her family needs a shot of hope to have any chance at happiness. The lack of light on her plant is much like the lack of hope within her family. Although there is negativity, she stands tall, much like a stem to continue moving forward towards their dreams.
The mood of the speaker changes to guilt as the speaker and her mother realize they would "crawl" with "shame" and leave an "emptiness" in their father's heart and yard. The author negatively connotes "crawl," "shame," and "emptiness" to invoke a more serious and shameful tone. The beginning of the conveyed a more matter-of-fact and pragmatic tone, but changes into a more sentimental one by the end to convey family is more important than the money. The symbol of the tree represents the family, and connects it to their father's hard work and dedication to the family. If they were to cut it down, it would be symbolic of their betrayal. Imagery of the tree is used to describe the freedom and beauty of the tree as it "swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit." The tree represents their family bond and how strong it is even through the "whip-crack of the mortgage."
In John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums”, he uses the chrysanthemums, fence, and garden to symbolize Elisa’s thoughts and feelings throughout his story. He uses these symbols to show love, neglect, loneliness, protection, and passion for his characters.
The novel begrudgingly creeps across the span of several years, showing the process of how her rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia and childhood are stolen from her during her time in the attic. There is a point to all this growing up and maturing, and it is that the truth and the world around us are cruel things, thus we all grow up blind to the horrors that lie right under our noses. This theme is often repeated in the text, through the loss of the father that opens the door to the abuse their Grandmother deals them, which in turn, leads to the final plot point of the betrayal of the mother. Flowers in the Attic is a trip through the aspects of life we’d rather look over, no matter how much we’d like to shield our eyes and ignore these truths upon seeing