Symbolism And Imagery In Stranger Than Fiction

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Throughout the film, Stranger than Fiction, director, Marc Forster conveys idealistic concepts through the use of symbolism and imagery. Alluding to René Magritte's Son of Man, the green apple was a prevalent symbol in the film -- often being held or eaten by Harold Crick. It exemplified the idea that the beguiling sight of that which is hidden by what is visible was sought after by Harold. This motif is portrayed when Harold abruptly stopped everything in pursuit of determining how he would die after hearing the narrator express that a small act “ … would result in his imminent death” (Stranger than Fiction), therefore becoming enmeshed in his efforts to see what is hidden by what is visible. In doing so, Harold disregarded the miniscule feats that could potentially change his fate, and only focused on that which he had no control over. Forster …show more content…

a shard of metal from [Harold's] watch obstructed the artery keeping the blood loss low enough to keep [him] alive” (Stranger than Fiction). Through this example, Forster emphasized the symbolism behind the wristwatch, and connected it to the idea that small things can be responsible for transforming fate. A third symbol from the film was the cookie. The batch of cookies that Ms. Pascal had baked for Harold after an agonizingly tedious day epitomized his revelation that something had been missing from his life. As he astonishedly verbalized, “That's a really, really good cookie,” (Stranger than Fiction) it is evident that Harold was not expecting something as insignificant as a cookie to possess such a titillating impact on his senses. Using this example, Marc Forster placed into juxtaposition Harold’s experience with homemade cookies and his outlook on life, specifically forecasting that he would realize that his previously dull, exiguous life would ameliorate once he started to try new things and appreciate the small things that make life worth

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