Small Potatoes

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Small Potatoes

Symbols

1. The Flowers: Throughout the story the reference to flowers is

consistently made. Within the first paragraph Nancy Lord states, "I

don't do it enough anymore, traipsing through with an eye for rose

hips or spiders snare with its lump of fluttering, tormented moth."

This establishes a pattern evident throughout the story based on the

symbolism of flowers. The flowers represent the intensity and lack of

intensity within the friendship. In the spring the friendship blossoms

as the flowers do, flowers have seeds which signifies the future of

the friendship. The flowers are connected to the symbolism of the

change of seasons, for example in the fall they slowly die, as the

friendship does. Nearing the end of the story she places dead flowers

on the table as a way of accepting her friend may not return to

Alaska.

2. The Seasons: The seasons are the most prominent symbol in the

story. In the summer the relationship flourishes, in the fall it

slowly dies which leads to it being nonexistent in the winter until it

finally begins to grow in the spring. The seasons are a metaphor for

change within the relationship. Within the first few paragraphs a

reference to the seasons is made; "That first summer, working together

in the cannery, I lived in my tent and you lived in your van". The

summer signifies positive growth within the friendship. In the fall

the friendship is slowly dying, "Now that the cold has come, causing

the country to lie down and curl up around itself, it's easier to get

through here" this indicates that things are slowing down. Nancy Lord

then reminisces about the good times she had with her friend during

the past season.

3. The Potatoes: The potatoes initially symb...

... middle of paper ...

... the friendship as well as motivation in

moving to anchorage, "every trip you take away more, emptying the

house of those thing that make it most yours. Load by load, you're

moving away."

This story is about a friendship that seems to flow with the seasons.

It is intense in the summer and slows down during the fall and winter.

This story reveals that friendships are often unpredictable like the

seasons it often does. Nancy Lord and her friend, in the beginning,

found a connection through the desire to escape to a life les

complicated and more exciting. In Alaska the friendship flourished.

Once Nancy's friend moved back to anchorage, the relationship changed.

This story provides insight into a relationship that many people can

relate too; it reveals the beginning and the end of a friendship that

was based on a common interest at one point in their lives.

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