The Glass Menagerie Symbolism Essay

Symbolism is used in the memoir The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, whenever the phrase “glass castle” is used. When someone in the book refers to the “glass castle” they are talking about a hope for the future of the Walls family. Rex Walls, her father, always promised that “Once he finished the Prospector and we struck it rich, he’d start work on our Glass Castle” (Walls 25). The “glass castle” represents the hope she has as a small child, because she was an optimist, who believed in a bright future for herself and her family. It also represents the hope she had as an adult, because a glass castle is fragile, and one wrong move can send the whole thing crashing down, just as one wrong move could send propel her life into chaos. As an author,

Susie lies there motionless while a large, corpulent man moves on top of her. She tries to escape by thinking of her mother calling her for dinner or her baby brother trying to show her a picture. Yet, no matter how hard she attempts to remove her mind from the situation, Susie cannot ignore the great, shining kitchen knife now looming over her. In this opening scene from The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, readers are immediately made familiar with the context of the novel. Susie Salmon, the narrator, is murdered at the young age of fourteen by her sinister neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Susie then reports on the happenings on Earth from a place she calls, the Inbetween—a kind of purgatory that insists Susie and her family find closure. Throughout the novel, Sebold uses the cornfield, the Salmons’ porch light, and an icicle as major symbols to help develop the setting and the characters.

In the memoir, The Glass Castle, it was evident the Glass Castle was not just a physical object itself, but holds a deeper meaning of symbolism towards the author, Jeannette Walls. After completing the book, it has been noted that the Glass Castle symbolizes the constant reminder of Jeannette’s hope that one day both her family and house will be in a stable, working position. Throughout the novel, the Glass Castle was vaguely mentioned as the Walls family continued their journey through the United States. However, through their ongoing journey, Jeannette’s view of the Glass Castle changed, as it was inevitably just a vision that her father had implanted in her brain but never actually built in reality.

Authors use symbolism in order to prove points, represent emotions, or even to show ideas. In the memoir, The Glass Castle written by Jeanette Walls, the 'Glass Castle' itself represents the ray of hope that each child had as they grew up in a financially troubled and twisted family. The Glass Castle design was also used by her father as a way to get his children to trust that he will always try to provide for and protect his family. Rex Walls, Jeanette's father stated that the Glass Castle would have glass staircases, heating and cooling powered by solar energy, and even a water purification system. He planned the rooms with extreme precision and, “Carried the blueprints for the Glass Castle wherever [they] went” (Walls 25). He even had the kids, “Work on the design for our rooms” (Walls 25). All of this would be funded by his Prospector machine which would separate gold from other rocks. However, this machine was never used and Rex's drinking and gambling habits would always force the Walls family to move to a new location, putting the idea of the Glass Castle in the back of their minds.

The title of an author's books often is the most profound symbolism in the book. The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, is no exception. The glass castle was created in the imagination of a young Jeanette and her father Rex Walls. It was a glass house that all the Walls family would live in, and be self sufficient. Through her childhood the glass castle was a lighthearted dream, and a promise from her dad, that one day they would have a stable life. One were she did not have to worry about where her next meal was coming from. The glass castle was also proof that the negligent father cared. “He carried around the blueprints [for] the glass castle wherever he went, and sometimes he’d pull them out and let us work on the design of our rooms” (Walls

Jeanette Walls memoir, the Glass Castle, illustrates Jeanette’s unusual childhood caused by constant poverty and chaos of her dysfunctional parents. This memoir teaches you to be thankful for what you have and to never give up no matter how hard things get. The Glass Castle tells a childhood story full of growing up with irresponsible parents, moving non-stop, and living in poverty. Jeannette and her siblings had to deal with situations that no one should have to go through.

Songtai Liu English Essay Symbols in Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a novella that was written by John Steinbeck. It was published in the 1930s and it basically tells a story during the Great Depression period about of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, traveled around and look for new job opportunities; they arrived at a ranch in California and started to work at there. In fact, I found that Steinbeck used the technique of symbolism very constantly throughout the story.

One of the factors that shaped the New World was religion; it was a pillar in the fledgling society and a reason for migration for so many Europeans. Puritanism was a major belief system that held strongly throughout the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a nineteenth century American novelist and short story writer, composed the story of “Young Goodman Brown” which takes place in Salem. All Puritans were to take a journey which was supposed to lead them to a conversion experience. This journey takes them through the spiritual heart. It is intended for self – examination; the elimination of the three vices: boredom, vice, and

Sylvia Plath’s novel, “The Bell Jar”, tells a story of a young woman’s descent into mental illness. Esther Greenwood, a 19 year old girl, struggles to find meaning within her life as she sees a distorted version of the world. In Plath’s novel, different elements and themes of symbolism are used to explain the mental downfall of the book’s main character and narrator such as cutting her off from others, forcing her to delve further into her own mind, and casting an air of negativity around her. Plath uses images of rotting fig trees and veils of mist to convey the desperation she feels when confronted with issues of her future. Esther Greenwood feels that she is trapped under a bell jar, which distorts her view of the world around her.

Of all the symbols that are in Steinbeck’s story, the pearl of the world is the most important because of its direct impact on Kino, Juana, and Coyotito. The Pearl is about a poor diver, Kino, who gathers pearls for a living. Then, on a day like any other, Kino comes to the surface of the sea with a pearl as large as a seagull’s egg. Kino thought it would be a source of wealth, hope, and comfort, whereas it was actually the evil that destroyed their family.

   Tennessee Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie, describes three separate characters, their dreams, and the harsh realities they face in a modern world.  The Glass Menagerie exposes the lost dreams of a southern family and their desperate struggle to escape reality. Williams' use of symbols adds depth to the play. The glass menagerie itself is a symbol Williams uses to represent the broken lives of Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield and their inability to live in the present.

     American literature reflects life and the struggles faced during existence. Symbols are an eloquent way for an author to create a more fully developed work of art. The stories themselves tell a tale; however, an author also uses symbols to relay his message in a more subtle manner. Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the earliest authors to use symbols as an integral part of his plots. This is clearly seen in both The Scarlet Letter and in The House of the Seven Gables. The use of symbols causes an "association psychology" to enter into the story, making it more intriguing.1 In Nathaniel Hawthorne's romance The House of the Seven Gables, symbolism is used eloquently to enhance the story

Written in 1944, Tennessee Williams wrote a play during World War II when people were barely making ends meet. Centering on the Wingfield family, the story consisted of five characters: Amanda Wingfield (the mother), Laura Wingfield (the daughter), Tom Wingfield (son, narrator, Laura’s older brother), Jim Connor (Tom and Laura’s old acquaintance from high school) and Mr. Wingfield (father to Tom and Laura, and Amanda’s husband)- who abandoned the family long before the start of the play. The title, “The Glass Menagerie”, represented a collection of glass animals on display in the Wingfields’ home. At one point or another, these animals then represented each character when they couldn’t accept reality. The theme of this play were about the

     Novels were created to show a very naive view in great depth. The Pearl is a novel in its most complete form. Steinbeck does this by conveying life symbolically. Through symbols, John offers the reader a clearer look at life and it?s content. He shows major imagery in four ways: Kino, music, Coyotito, and the 'Pearl of the World'.

Every single social class has some aspects of this color around the. For the old rich, the color blue is used to describe many things such as Tom’s knuckles after he punched Myrtle, the color blue was also used to describe Tom’s car and the ocean. “. . . we came into sight of the easygoing blue coupe”(125). Even though Tom is the most associated with blue in the old rich community many others also have ties to the color. This includes the people of West Egg. The difference with the color blue in the new rich is that it is more associated with happy things such as gardens, banners, and the sky. “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (39). Thought these two communities are associated with blue so is the lower class, also known as The Valley of the Ash’s. In The Valley of the ashes the color blue most often represents hope. Hope for a new and better lives in Myrtles blue spotted dress. Hope for a more fulfilling life in Wilsons eyes, Myrtles husbands. Hope for a brighter future in the eyes smeared on the sign featuring Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. “When he saw us a damp gleam of hope sprang into his light blue eyes” (25). Although blue is used to represent almost everyone many colors do not such as the colors gray and