Fire Rising Symbolism

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In a story, symbols are used to convey a deeper meaning and are very helpful to an author to help save space and time. Symbols are everywhere, for instance, the color black symbolizes death and evil and the phrase “time is money” symbolizes how people can use their time productively. The hot air balloon in “A Wall of Fire Rising” symbolizes freedom, hope, and wealth. In “A Wall of Fire Rising” there are three main characters: Guy, Lily, and Little Guy. The freedom that the hot air balloon symbolizes is perceived by the characters in different ways. Guy is a man that has lived a hard life trying to provide for his family which is very difficult. He dreams of taking the hot air balloon and flying away from his hard life. Perhaps, the ropes holding …show more content…

He says “he was a poor struggling man all of his life” (Danticat 237). This is where we see how Guy tries to defy his own hopelessness in the hot air balloon. He hopes to provide a better life then his dad did for his family. He also wanted to have more freedom than his dad did. He accomplished this when he flew up in the hot air balloon and jumped out. At that moment he must have felt satisfied with his life because he did get to experience freedom. Lilly’s fears became a reality when Guy fell to his death. The last line that Little Guy recites while he is standing over his father's diseased body is “‘we may either live freely, or we shall die’’’ (Danticat 239). This quote represents what Guy may have been thinking as he was jumping. The Assad family owned the hot air balloon and the sugar mill, which is most likely the largest business in the village. None of the regular village members could ever imagine owning such a grand possession because none of them could afford it, including Guy. The balloon represents the Assads power and wealth within the village. The hot air balloon in “A Wall of Fire Rising” first symbolized the freedom that Guy finally felt when he got to take the balloon into the air Next it symbolized the hope that Guy saw in the balloon to enable him to live a better life than his father. Finally, the hot air balloon represented the wealth of the Assad

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