Symbolism – a Reserve to Supersede

A symbol is a pattern that signifies facts, ideas and human relation to it. This visual image creates or shows association beyond what words can describe and help human to understand intricate concepts. Symbolism in literature is expended widely to convey messages. Symbols play a crucial role by superseding words and they prove to be viable reserves to transfer thoughts and the ideas of the author without distortion from the theme or the plot. The article deals with short stories and explicitly introduces a different dimension of the imagery and symbols that are showcased in the story. Thus helping readers to comprehend on the lines of analyzing the usage of symbols.

Symbolism play an evident role starting from mythological stories, poems, short stories and novels. The novels of Dan Brown largely displays themes involving symbols and deciphering crypts. Furthermore, research studies and hypothesis published are based on these themes. The analogies of mythologies reveal details of how symbols were effective to expound significances to understand the theme and the wisdom of the literature and its purpose. This article may not propel views of many such works of literature, but through selective short stories of Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend by P. G. Wodehouse; The Courtship of Susan Bell by Anthony Trollope and The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield are favoured to divulge the magnitude of symbols in life, relation and society. However, much analysis and inferences were made on the topics of love, relationship, social status and characteristic analogy based on feminism. But, very few have mentioned the impact of symbols in consideration with the above short stories.

A pattern or a structure is a symbol that denotes or synchronizes facts, ideas and human relation to it. A symbol may even denote an experience one would undergo or has already undergone. For a course or a fact that has been an experience has often evolved as a symbol intricately referring and to relevantly quote

A symbol is a mark, sign or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. All communication (and data processing) is achieved through the use of symbols. Symbols take the form of words, sounds, gestures, ideas or visual images and are used to convey other ideas and beliefs.

Symbols are a means of complex communication that often can have multiple levels of meaning. Symbols are the basis of all human understanding and serve as vehicles of conception for all human knowledge.

With denotation to the above source, right from ancient texts of scriptures, structures, graffiti and national images express ideologies, culture, arrangement of social patterns that serve as vehicle to human contemplation and understanding. The foregoing statement can be thus expounded with an instance of the Holy Grail portrayed by the author Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code. The Chalice which represents the womb; which holds the holy bloodline of Jesus. In addition Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol is a novel about the symbologist deciphering events and clues. Through both these novels, the author through his symbols and motifs paves way to the protagonist along with his readers to reach the climax of the findings.

The shiv linga worshiped is a realistic representation of a phallus set in a yoni an aniconic exemplification of the deity Shiva. In the sequence of our illustration on symbols are the tattoos which are imprints made on our body by changing the pigment. The practice of tattooing has its trail of antiquity and remains a vogue in this present century. These are symbols that signify the purpose of the individual wearing it. In the same fashion the symbols found on currency, coins and flags of respective nations, reveal an array of details pertaining to the respective nationality. Especially the study of numismatics divulge the culture and connotation of the image and forms patterned on it. Identically, in the course of quoting occurrences relating to symbols are the doorways, which are structures that has an impact over the psyche of humankind serving as “event boundaries” causing memory lapse to people entering or exiting a doorway. The fact is well demonstrated by the experiment conducted by the Psychology Professor Gabriel Radvansky from the University of Notre Dame Psychology.

While symbols have been an integral nexus in human and the psyche of human. Its significance has evolved from time immemorial until date. Symbols have been used to interpret data and thought in various disciplines and art and literature has its own colossal usage. Many sculptors, monuments, paintings, stories and poems showcased numerous symbols which are still the idee fixe of many analysis and discussions. This article may not propel views of many such works of literature, but through selective short stories of Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend by P. G. Wodehouse; The Courtship of Susan Bell by Anthony Trollope and The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield are favoured to divulge the magnitude of symbols in life, relation and society. However, much analysis and inferences were made on the topics of love, relationship, social status and characteristic analogy based on feminism. Very few have mentioned the impact of symbols in consideration with the above short stories.

The Courtship of Susan Bell by Anthony Trollope, deals with themes of chivalry, love, relationship; women longing to secure a status in society through marriage and sibling rivalry. Albeit these themes are found predominant in this story; there is a symbol that bolsters all these emotions to culminate this story. Admittedly, to the use idiomatic expressions of – “Bridging a gap” and “Burning bridges”, the story indicates the bridge as a symbol that implies the idea of a young, chivalrous engineer who initiates to subtly express the idea that he wants to unite with the young lady of the house in a marriage.

“Do you know a good bridge when you see it, madam?”said Aaron the evening after he had made his decision. This was how he began his love-making.

The young engineer, named Aaron who sojourned for his project at Mrs. Bell’s house had developed an attraction towards the soft natured, pretty girl Susan Bell, the second daughter of Mrs. Bell. In his initial pursuit of courtship, he approached the girl by sketching a beautiful bridge and he gingerly took care to make it a “work of high art”, which he desired to present it to Susan Bell to adorn in a frame at her bedside. Susan’s mother uncertain of Aaron’s genuine love refuses the painting to be offered to Susan and the refusal dismays Aaron, who in turn burns the bridge – the piece of art by putting it in the fireplace. Susan is immediately annoyed by this act and starts to cry making him feel embarrassed. So after sometime Aaron apologises with Mrs. Bell for creating a turbulence and offers to paint another beautiful picture of a bridge; provided the family and Susan accept it as a token of forgiveness.

“Oh, I can do twenty more of the same if anybody wants them”, said Aaron. “If I do another like it, will you let her take it, Mrs.Bell? Just to show that you have forgiven me, and that we are friends as we were before?” 

So, yet another bridge was painted to bridge the gap as to establish a marital relationship, thus construing the bridge as symbol of love and establishing a connection.

In another story of Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend by P. G. Wodehouse, here the author focuses on the predominant themes of a master who is dependent on his gardener, who imposes authority. Lord Emsworth throughout the story shortfalls in confidence and is not happy by his social status and his title. Here in this story the symbols of his title; the stiff suit and especially he felt a great heaviness because of his hat. The quotes from text testify the apprehension.

On August Bank Holiday he was not allowed to wander pleasantly about his gardens in an old coat: forces outside his control made him dress like a gentleman and told him to go out and be pleasant to the people.

The transition in the life of Lord Emsworth happened when he witnessed a young girl who controlled a ferocious dog attacking Lord Emsworth, just by raising her voice reminding him to think of his own inability to control his gardener. Lord Emsworth liked the girl so much that during a gathering, though the girl was denied eatables to be taken for her brother and was charged for picking food, Lord Emsworth comes to her rescue at the right time. He allows her to pick flowers from his garden, which was prohibited by the gardener. He admires the attribute of courage found in the girl, which he is unable express. But the touch of the girl made him gather courage to authoritatively speak to the gardener. This happened when he shook of the top hat; the symbol of social status; the heaviness which he always felt upon him and he thus said,

These gardens, Mc Allister , belong to me, and if you do not realize that fact you will. No doubt, be able to find another employer more-er-agreeable to you. I value your services highly, McAllister, but I will not be ordered about in my own garden, McAllister. 

The next revelation of the implication of the symbol is from the Katherine Masefield’s story The Doll’s House. Similar to the other stories discussed in the article, The Doll’s House story has been exponentially expounded on the themes of malevolent adult society, marginalization, annihilation and the innocence of the children. However, with many negations, the story at end through a symbol ignites hope.

While the Brunell’s children take pride in their new possession that is a doll’s house. It becomes a symbol of showcase for social status, pomp and luxury enjoyed by the elites of the society - “Mother,” said Kezia, “can’t I ask the Kelveys just once?” “Certainly not, Kezia .” The same idea is being imbibed in the minds of the children to discriminate the children of the underprivileged class. They are not allowed to visit the doll’s house, which is now a new symbol of excitement among the school children and the children of the neighborhood.

The children of the higher economic group found joy when they teased the Kelvey’s girls by enumerating the factors that made the Kelvey’s unfortunate. But ultimately there was a change when Kezia the Brunell’s daughter invites them to look at doll’s house, which is a prototype of the elite’s society. When Lil and Else take the opportunity to visit the house and when found are chased away immediately. When the Kelvey’s girls walked out of the back yard of the Brunell’s, they sit looking at a field, near a stream. Else moves close to her sister forgetting the shame and insult and exclusively mentions that she has seen a lamp leaving the other amazing features of the house. Presumably, a lamp is a symbol of hope and enlightment and through this symbol the author leaves the story open to its readers to deduce that this symbol ensures a ray of hope; a silver lining paving way to sanguinity.

Thus at times of dearth of words and however there is a need to effectively convey a thought symbols are reserves, albeit used sparingly, are efficacious and substantially used in Art and Literature to supersede words. To make the audience visualize, ponder and appraise the work, providing a sense of satiation to the observer, in synchronizing or being parallel to thought and having imbibed essence or the purpose of using the symbol to analyze and decipher the mind of the creator (author) than just having understood the literal meaning.

Works Consulted

1. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code: Delacorte Press, 2016.
2. “Symbols.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 June 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols.
3. Wells, H. G., et al. Outstanding Short Stories. Longmans, Green, 1958.