How Does Mary Dilworth Use Color In The Factory

“The Factory”, by Mary Dilworth, utilizes the colors red and brown to demonstrate the narrator’s hatred toward the factory and her husband. The wife describes her disdain for the factory when she states that she often “imagined it without its red bricks,” (1). This suggests to the anger that the wife feels. The wife also implies how boring and drab Eric is by comparing him to “brown leather shoes,” (2). This hints at the hatred she feels for Eric. The wife describes the way the factory looks as it is on fire and the happiness it brings her when she indicates that the sky was “a brilliant red,” (3). This demonstrates her love for the destruction of the factory. The use of color throughout “The Factory” allows the wife to convey her emotions

without explaining them.
Wolfgang Borchert’s “The Bread” uses light, crumbs, and bread to symbolize knowledge, destruction, and life. The wife went into the kitchen because she heard noises and discovers her husband betraying her. The acquisition of this knowledge is implied as she “put the light on,” (1). The wife realizes that her marriage is crumbling when she notices that there were “crumbs on the cloth,” (1). This insinuates that the husband is destroying their marriage. The wife demonstrates her love for husband by giving him her ration of bread with the excuse that she cannot “digest this bread,” (2). This implies that the wife is giving up her life for her husband.