How Theme is Developed in Short Stories Through Symbolism

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One of the many main pieces that makes up a literary work is the theme that is shown through the story. A theme is a core or main idea that a literary work is trying to teach or tell the reader. An author can develop a theme through many things. One of those things that can be seen in the three short stories is symbolism. The three short stories that are being spoken of are Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie, and The Moustache by Robert Cormier. The theme is all three of the short stories is developed through the authors’ use of symbolism.
The short story Harrison Bergeron has one main theme throughout its story. This theme is that most people think they want true equality but we really do not. We just think that we do, but instead we really want everyone to have equal opportunities. This can be seen through the handicaps that most people have to wear in order to have equality. When someone was too smart, beautiful, strong, or fast they had to have a handicap for it. These different handicaps symbolize equality because they are what makes everyone equal. This can be seen in the beginning of the story when it says “everybody was finally equal... Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General,” (Vonnegut 1). These handicaps develop the theme because they make everyone equal but they are also what causes Harrison to want to take control. When he sees how the system truly does not work the way everyone thinks that it does he wants to ...

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... the theme of a story can be seen in the three short stories Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie, and The Moustache by Robert Cormier. In the first it helps develop the theme that we truly do not want equality among all people, in fact we want all people to have the same opportunities. In the second it helps with the theme that generosity can get you far in life and that helping others can in turn help you. Finally, in the last it helps develop the theme that one should not attempt to grow up faster than they already are. That is how symbolism can be seen being used by authors to help develop a theme throughout a story.

Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem.” New York: The New Yorker, 2003.
1-11. Print.
Cormier, Robert. “The Moustache.” 1-6. Print.
Vonnegut, Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron.” 1-4. Print.

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