Showing Symbolism

Jesie Tanner

English 101

Professor Woods

30 April 2012

Showing symbolism

Symbolism is a word or objects that stands for another word or object. The object or word can be seen with the eye or not visible. Symbols appear all around us; anything can be given a symbolic significance. Without symbols our lives would be plain and vacant. There are three well known stories that stand out for symbolism; First, “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner. This short story is simply about a poor woman that had no life at all. Her father had kept her locked up, and she had a lover who was going to leave her so she had to kill him. Second, “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This short story is about Young Goodman Brown leaving Faith, for an unknown errand in the forest. Faith pleads with her husband to stay with her but he insists the journey into the forest to meet the devil must be completed that night. Finally, “Barn Burning,” by William Faulkner. This story is about Abner Snopes getting caught burning barns and is asked to leave the town. The next day, the family moves into a new house and Snopes tracks manure onto an expensive rug. In “A Rose for Emily,” the piece of gray hair on the pillow represents symbolism, in “Young Goodman Brown,” Faith’s pink ribbons represent symbolism, and “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner, the soiled rug represents symbolism.

In the short story “A Rose for Emily,” there are many different types of symbolism. The gray hair they found on the on the pillow at the end of the story is a good example of symbolism. “Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair”