Flight By John Steinbeck Essays - American People Of German Descent

Flight by John Steinbeck In his classic short story, "Flight," John Steinbeck uses many examples of symbolism to foreshadow the conclusion. Symbolism can be anything, a person, place or thing, used to portray something beyond itself. It is used to represent or foreshadow the ending of the story. Steinbeck uses colors, direction, and nature symbolism to help presage Pep?'s tragic death. Let us now more closely examine the ways that Steinbeck uses colors to foreshadow the ending of his short story. Perhaps the most repeatedly used symbol in "Flight," is the color black. In literature many authors use black to represent death. There are numerous examples in this short story. Some of these include the black handle on the long blade, Pep?'s black hair and the black jerky. Another example may be found when Pep? puts on his fathers black coat, which represents death. When Pep? puts on the coat he is literally covering himself with death. Another fine example is the trail in which Pep? travels. Steinbeck describes the path as a well-worn black path. By traveling on this path he is in fact taking the road of death. Furthermore Pep?'s appearance also helps foreshadow the ending. Steinbeck describes him as having a black hat that covers his black thatched hair. Pep? is also described as being dark, lean and tall. Another example is Pep?'s shack. The shack is described as weathered and very old. It casts a rather large shadow to the North east. The darkness of the shadow symbolizes death in the home. As we can readily see, the authors use of black symbolism in the story tells us that the main character, Pep?, is impending death. Another commonly used symbol in the story "Flight," is direction. Direction is used to represent positive or negative effects. North and East are generally "good" directions. Many people feel this came about when the early man saw the sun rise in the East. On the contrary, the directions South and West are generally "bad" directions. Basically this is because the sun sets in the West. Besides compass directions, height is also a very popular way of foreshadowing the conclusion of the story. The direction up, which is also the way to heaven is generally "good," while down, the direction of hell, is considered to be "bad." An example of this form of symbolism can be found when Pep? is returning home. Pep? looks at his "weathered little shack" and notices the shadow. The shadow is heading in the direction North East. Even though the directions North and East are "good," the fact that the shadow is there turns them "bad." This means that evil is winning over goodness. So, whichever direc tion Pep? turns to he will fall into evil. Another fine example is when Pep? watches the sun set in the West. The sun, which is the bringer of all life is moving towards evil. That means it will be dark out and Pep?'s death is soon to come. Steinbeck further uses this symbolism while describing the tops of the trees on the mountain. The tops of the trees were wind-bitten and dead. This symbolizes that the further Pep? travels up the mountain the closer he is to his inevitable death. As shown above, direction is another very important aspect of symbolism. Direction is just another of the many ways John Steinbeck accomplishes his foreshadowing of the ending of his story. Let us now look further into symbolism by discovering yet another form of symbolism. Throughout the story Steinbeck emphasizes nature symbolism. Nature symbolism includes a variety of things. One very popular symbol is water. Because of the fact that we, as humans, require water in order to live, water represents life. An example of this in the story "Flight," would be Pep?'s water bag that he hung over his horse's shoulder. The water leaked onto the horse's shoulder. This meant Pep?'s life was actually leaking away. It just so happened that when the horse was shot it was in the same shoulder. The most obvious example of nature symbolism would be when Pep? is traveling up the mountain. When he first starts out he is traveling very close to the river. As he continues

The Crucible & Era Evaluation essays

The Crucible & Era Evaluation essays In 1953, a man by the name of Arthur Miller wrote a play not only as a historical allusion, but more specifically a piece based on criticism and comparison. The Crucible it was named. Miller, by implying the Salem witch trials was similar to that of the actions by Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy, created a critical work of art that, as a side effect, threw Miller in the McCarthy line-of-fire. It is important to note this wasnt a straight historical play and was never intended to be, although Miller did use historical figures and places. September 1662, the theocratic town of Salem experienced a very different way of life while certain members of the community were selected and prosecuted for accusations and suspicions. The indictment was the case of witchcraft. 19 men and women were brutally interrogated, possessions were seized, and everything was used against them in court. There was no way out. Confession meant a life of rejection by the town. Sticking to the truth and believing the Devil didnt affect actions of the citizens meant death by hanging at Gallows Hill. Among these killed, hundreds of others faced accusations of witchcraft and were immediately jailed without trial. The established court ruined many innocent people and destroyed their names simply because of a scare brought about by a deceitful Salem citizen. Jump ahead approximately 290 years to the 1950s. American senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin has gained recognition and power for his hate for communism in the country and realized the potential destruction of Americas capitalistic ideals. He stated he had suspicions of 205 card-carrying communists within the Country who have already infiltrated the state departments carrying out anti-American activities. Among the 205 accused, a range from common, everyday people to Hollywood actors like Chaplin were accused of being Communist members. Lives were shot down ...