Allegory in Forster's The Other Side of the Hedge

767 Words2 Pages

Allegory in Forster's The Other Side of the Hedge

After reading the first few paragraphs, The Other Side of the Hedge, by E. M. Forster, seems to be nothing more than a story about a man walking down a long road. The narrator's decision to go through the hedge transforms the story into an allegory that is full of symbols representing Forster's view of the journey of life. The author develops the allegory through the use of several different symbols including the long road, the hedge and the water.

The allegory is about man's life journey toward the ultimate goal of heaven. When the reader interprets the story on a literal level, it seems somewhat realistic, but he quickly senses a double meaning. In the story, the narrator travels on a long, dusty road that seems to have no end. He tells about the other people of the road, discussing the possessions that they attempt to carry with them. Some of these people abandon their journey, leaving their possessions behind to gather dust. The target of E.M. Forster's allegory is the transition from life on earth to life in heaven.

Forster's many symbols in the story portray his view of life. One important symbol that Forster mentions several times is the long, dusty road. The seemingly endless road represents the long, difficult journey of life. The people in the story must travel on the road even though it never ends and leads them nowhere. At first, they carry as many possessions with them as possible, but they eventually leave them behind, as he journey becomes more difficult. The narrator says, "The road behind was strewn with the things we had all dropped." Eventually, the people of ...

... middle of paper ...

... falls into the water, it cleanses his body physically, but it also cleanses his soul symbolically. His body is no longer covered with dust from his journey on the road. The water also causes the main character's pedometer to stop working. This further indicates that all links to the narrator's past life have been destroyed. He has moved on to a different stage in life, and there is no turning back.

E.M. Forster's use of allegory and symbolism in The Other Side of the Hedge helps present his belief that the journey toward heaven is easier when one has fewer possessions and does good deeds for others. When the main character strays from the road, he begins a symbolic journey into heaven. The hedge strips him of his worldly possessions, while the water cleanses him spiritually, preparing him for the life to come.

Show More
Related

  • The Greasy Lake Theme

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hiding from those who would find him and carry out the wrath of vengeance upon him, the protagonist plans his escape. About to dive in the rancid water and swim for it, a body in the shallows abruptly stops him. The bloated and decomposing corpse pulls the narrator back from his adrenaline-induced frenzy. After a few moments, he settles and reflects, “I thought about him, fog on the lake, insects chirring eerily, and felt the tug of fear, felt the darkness opening up inside me like a set of jaws. Who was he, I wondered, this victim of time and circumstance bobbing sorrowfully in the lake at my back” (193). The narrator can almost envision himself as the man whose corpse is before him. Both deceased from mysterious causes, involved in shady activities, and left to rot in the stagnant lake water, and never to be discovered by the outside world. This marks the point where the main character is the closest he has ever been to death. Although he makes it out alive, the protagonist and his outlook on life are forever changed.

    Read More

  • Water Symbolism In The Gangster We Are All Looking For

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    Water is symbolic of the life cycle as the continuous, repetitive movement is symbolic of the Buddhist view of samsara. Within Buddhism, samsara is defined as the continual repetitive cycle of birth and death that arises from one grasping and fixating one’s self and experiences. Specifically, samara refers to the process of cycling through one rebirth after another within the realms of existence. The uninterrupted cycle of death and rebirth without a choice is called ‘cyclic existence’ ("Buddhism Beliefs |About Buddhism”). In lê thi diem thúy’s The Gangster We Are All Looking For, water permeates through the life cycle concerning life, death, and the dual-meaning of resurrection representing both rebirth and the manifestation of ghostly

    Read More

  • Comparing the Search in Plato's Allegory of the Cave and Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio

    1551 Words  | 4 Pages

    The "Allegory" depicts a number of people who are imprisoned in a cave, chained by the legs and neck so that they cannot move, nor can they turn their heads; they see only towards the back wall opposite the cave opening. These people have been chained in this manner their entire lives. Sometimes objects and people pass in front of the cave opening, and shadows play upon the back wall. Since the people have only seen the shadows, they assume that the shadows are the real objects and beings of the world. They watch the shadows, measuring them, trying to understand them, and soon honors are bestowed upon those persons who can see the...

    Read More

  • The Symbolism in “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway

    564 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Hills Like White Elephants” is a short story that is about an American man and a girl called Jig. They are sitting at a table outside a train station, waiting for a train to Madrid. While they wait they order drinks and have a heated ongoing conversation over whether or not Jig will have an operation that would be of great significance to their relationship. “The Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway has two important symbols in the story, the hills and the drinks both of which help to give us a better understanding of what is going on between the American and his girl.

    Read More

  • Scarlet Ibis Short Story Symbol

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolism is used in many stories for authors to help convey a message for reader and for the story to have more value after it is read. The story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst is a story filled with symbolism, and one symbol is where the two main characters went every day in the summer: Doodle and Brother. Another symbol used by James Hurst is the wagon. The story is about a relationship of two brothers with one being disabled causing him to be much weaker and not being able to do things such as swim, run, and go to school. The character, named Doodle,could not even stand up until his brother who is unnamed, help him learn after a lot of practice. The theme of the story would be to not be too prideful of yourself or someone else. James Hurst uses the swamp and the wagon as symbols to convey more meaning to the story.

    Read More

  • Circle of Black

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...h sides.” This is a Greek Mythology reference of the River Styx, a river which separates the living and the dead. The black bodies of the trees shows that it was dark and based off paintings, there were walls of darkness around the River Styx. The River of Styx is also a way to death or the path of death. Bierce uses the River of Styx to foreshadow that Farquhar is actually at “death’s door”.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the story the author used objective point of view, symbolism, and irony to illustrate the theme that life and death decisions will negatively affect relationships. Going through with the abortion would have caused much grief for Jig but I believe the man would have been able to get over it much easier. She saw the ugliness of the barren valley and was slowly realizing what a mistake she’d make if she wasn’t able to enjoy the lushness of her fertility. In my opinion I believe Jig was smart enough or at least convicted enough not to go through with the abortion.

    Read More

  • Traveling Through The Dark By William Stafford Analysis

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Stafford in my mind, a visionary seeking to enlighten us through words he wrote in the poem, he talks his travels down a dark road only to find a dead deer on the road. In the poem he talks about how he moved the deer out of the dark road and pushing it down a hill. The poem is great at making you visualize what is happen as you read it. In this essay I will dissect the poem’s deep and dark stanza’s and state what the poem means.

    Read More

  • Sleep Essay

    1782 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sleep is necessary in order for the body to rest, and is a state of decreased consciousness and lowered metabolism. Sleep is very important for all living things. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep has numerous positive effects on humans. In humans, there are five main stages of sleep. As the brain passes through each stage, the frequency of waves slows down. The amount of sleep required for humans varies depending on age. Sleep is vital for the well-being of all living things because it improves both physical and mental health. Humans just can’t get enough of it!

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Rose By Emily Rose

    1331 Words  | 3 Pages

    Concerning the contextualization of A Rose of Family as a sign of the times of women at that point, where cultural norms of women lead to a life in domestication. The recognition of the rose here as it is carefully placed in the title of the piece as well bears significance to the physical rose and what it meant to the young women in the South during the 1800s (Kurtz 40). Roses are generally given as tokens of love and affection by males to females. There are even remnants of it today where young lads also profess their love to women with roses; women still see it as an act of endearment towards them.

    Read More

  • Life and Death

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Secondly, Ernest Hemingway illustrates the other side of the train station to represent life. “Across on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro” (402). Literally, the fields of the grain and trees represent fertility and fruitfulness because a field without crops represents infertility. However, symbolically, the fertile land symbolizes Jig’s current pregnant state, life in Jig’s womb.

    Read More

  • Electronic Health Records Case Study

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    In recent years, electronic health records have become a forefront to quality health care. However, prior to this time medical records were stored in paper charts. Furthermore, even with electronic health records, much patient information is still printed and transmitted along the continuum of care. This continues to allow vulnerability in access to protected patient information and potential for data breaches. Breaches can occur due to human error, improper disposal, hacking of information, and numerous other reasons. One breach occurred due to both human error and improper disposal in a regional hospital located in Pennsylvania.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Young Goodman Brown

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Additionally, Hawthorne initiates his narration by introducing the awareness of the Forrest, making it an obvious representation. Clearly it represents evil in the world similar to the Puritan’s analogy that the woods are inhabited by the devil; thus Young Goodman Brown’s nocturnal expedition is one full of sin, darkness, and shame. Correspondingly, the most obvious symbol that I noticed as I read this story was the loss of virtuousness. Inadvertently as a result of Hawthorne’s writing the audience is exposed

    Read More

  • The Dark Side of Robert Frost’s Nature

    2355 Words  | 5 Pages

    Robert Frost is known for his poems about nature, he writes about trees, flowers, and animals. This is a common misconception, Robert Frost is more than someone who writes a happy poem about nature. The elements of nature he uses are symbolic of something more, something darker, and something that needs close attention to be discovered. Flowers might not always represent beauty in Robert Frost’s poetry. Symbolism is present in every line of the nature’s poet’s poems. The everyday objects present in his poems provide the reader an alternative perspective of the world. Robert Frost uses all the elements of poetry to describe the darker side of nature. After analyzing the Poem Mending Wall and After Apple Picking it is clear that nature plays a dark and destructive role for Robert Frost. This dark side of Frost’s poetry could have been inspired from the hard life he lived.

    Read More

  • Reflection on The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost

    1485 Words  | 3 Pages

    The overarching theme throughout the entire poem is that of choices. The concept of “two roads diverged,” or a split in the road, is a metaphor representing a choice which the narrator must make. Being “sorry [he] could not travel both… [being] one traveler” illustrates that, although he wishes he could see the results of both choices, as seen in saying he “looked as far as [he] could to where it bent,” he is but one pers...

    Read More

More about Allegory in Forster's The Other Side of the Hedge

Open Document