The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities is often used in literary works to deepen the meaning and give the novel more of a backstory and emotion. Symbolism plays a very vital role in Things Fall Apart and The Poisonwood Bible as it gives the reader a deeper context to look into which in return adds more understanding to these works. From the symbol of fire in Things Fall Apart to the symbol of Methuselah in The Poisonwood Bible, we will take a deeper look into these symbols and understand why the author chose to incorporate them and how they affect the story.
One major symbol in Things Fall Apart is fire. As one already knows, fire is compelling and can easily do harm but it can just as easily be put out. This is why I believe the author used this symbol for Okonkwo because he is a big fearful character who also has his flaws. In the novel, he is often referred to as “Roaring flame”.
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This shows that even the folk in the town view him this way and believe him to be worthy of comparison to fire. “Okonkwo was popularly called the “Roaring Flame.” As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name. He was a flaming fire.” (Achebe 108). Like a fire, Okonkwo reached his peak then slowly burned down to ash. Another reoccurring term in Things Fall Apart is yams.
Yams are the main crop grown in Umuofia and are known for their importance in society. Only men are allowed to grow yams as they are labor intensive and are considered a man's crop. The entire year revolves around planting and harvesting yams and the amount of yams a man can produce determines his wealth and place in society. Okonkwo knows the significance of yams as his father left him nothing so he must fend for himself and earn his pride. Yams symbolize masculinity as only men can plant them and they symbolize one's ability as a provider for his family. “Sharecropping was a very slow way of building up a barn of one’s own. After all the toil one only got a third of the harvest. But for a young man whose father had no yams, there was no other way. And what made it worse in Okonkwo’s case was that he had to support his mother and two sisters from his meager harvest.” (Achebe 15). This states that the importance of one’s harvest determines if his family is going to eat or not, which in turn in essential for
survival. The use of symbolism in Things Fall Apart establishes a certain layer of understanding for the reader to fully submerge oneself into the story. Achebe’s use of symbols is very helpful as this story might be harder to read for some. Regardless of the reading level, the symbolism in this novel does its job of adding context and deeper meaning for the reader's mind to pick up. It also generates certain qualities in the characters that enhance their traits like Okonkwo's fire like attitude and Unoka’s lack of father like qualities. Barbara Kingsolver added copious amounts of symbolism in this novel and nearly all of them are relating to the Bible. She added so much biblical reference because she portrays character development through their beliefs and different book titles. Various references to the Bible allows many to make connections to a work of literature that they already know and allow for a deeper understanding. A parrot named Methuselah is present in this novel in the form of the Price’s family pet. The biblical version of Methuselah is the name of the oldest living person in the Bible, who came close to living one thousand years. In the novel, Methuselah is kept as a pet and once he is set free he dies very shortly. Methuselah represents Africa and its culture as he was treated poorly by the Price family and died as a result of that neglect once he was set free. His time spent in the cage also represents the Congo’s oppression under the rule of Belgium. Once the Congo earns its independence, it fails as a result of failure to suffice itself just like Methuselah. Nathan Price’s demonstration garden demonstrates the Price’s family struggle to fit in and become accustomed to life in Africa. Nathan believes he can farm the way he farmed in America regardless of what Mama Tabata tells him, but his stubbornness causes his farm to fail. This shows how when they arrived in Africa Nathan believed that they could do everything their way without regards to the customs and traditions of the native land. Nathan’s arrogance and ignorance also shine as a result of his demonstration garden and allows us to further understand who Nathan is and how his mind operates. The demonstration garden can also represent the biblical Garden of Eden in the way that Adam and Eve ate a poisonous apple and received a punishment for it. This connects to the novel because Nathan first encountered the poisonwood tree while working in his garden. He refused to listen to Mama Tabata about not touching the harmful plant and as a result, he woke with rashes all over his body. Kingsolver’s use of symbolism provides deeper context and reader understanding because she uses the bible to her advantage to add almost a second meaning to the things in her novel. Readers with previous knowledge of the Bible are able to make quick references and connections to better understand the novel and enhance one’s opinion. Her use of symbolism also provides information to add to the characters traits and values and helps develop the character. Symbolism is very often used to add context to the story and its characters and to enhance the meaning of the novel. The symbolism used in Things Fall Apart and The Poisonwood Bible allow the reader to be able to fully understand the novel and its characters and gives us a backbone to base everything else off of. Kingsolver and Achebe both use symbolism to their advantage to give more context to their stories as they both take place in foreign regions that we are unaware of.
Why do authors use symbolism in their literature? Many authors use symbolism in their literature to create or to add deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. They often use objects, people, actions and words to symbolize a deeper understanding of their story and to develop their themes. They also use symbols to give clue/hints for the story in which they also develop their main characters. In the story, “It Had to be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich, the author uses symbolism to develop his story and to send a message with a deeper understanding of the story to his readers.
Since its 1998 publication, The Poisonwood Bible has primarily been seen as a statement against American exceptionalism. Upon analyzing the novel it is obvious that subjects such as imperialism, religion, the burden of guilt, and the use of, or lack thereof, voices, contribute to multiple points and themes found in the novel. In Susan Strehle’s current article on American exceptionalism explicitly relating to The Poisonwood Bible, she manipulates the topics and themes found in the novel to support her opinion. Unlike Strehle’s one-sided view, multiple themes and motifs in The Poisonwood Bible combine to form a complex and involved plot, further developed by the use of symbolism and both internal and external conflicts of the characters.
In “The Poisonwood Bible,” Barbara Kingsolver illuminates on how a rift from one’s homeland and family can simultaneously bring agonizing isolation and an eye opening perspective on life through Leah Price’s character development. As a child exiled away to a foreign country, Leah faces the dysfunction and selfishness of her family that not only separates them from the Congolese, but from each other while she also learns to objectify against tyrants and embrace a new culture.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is a work of historical fiction. The novel is based the Congo in 1959, while it was still under Belgian control. Nathan Price is a southern Baptist preacher from Bethlehem, Georgia who uproots his family, consisting of wife and three daughters, and takes them on a mission trip to Kilanga. Orleanna Price, Nathan’s wife, narrates the beginning of each book within the novel. Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May rotate the narration throughout each book. Rachel is the oldest Price child, and high materialistic. She refuses to accept the ways of the Congo, believing that she is better than everyone simply because of where she had her start in life. Leah is the next oldest, and she is a self-proclaimed tomboy. She likes to climb trees and practically worships at the feet of her father. Adah is the handicapped one, with a physical deformity. However, this deformity does not limit her, instead making her the smartest of the Price girls. Ruth May is the baby of the family, and has not yet lost the childhood innocence that she views the world with. Barbara Kingsolver uses a very interesting narrative style in the novel, switching between four narrators between the ages of five and fifteen, who are all female. Kingsolver's use of multiple narrative perspectives serve to amplify life in the Congo during the early 1960s through characterization, religion, and politics.
Although I appreciate and enjoyed reading about a world in which I have no experience, the imagery in the book was more than enough to show me that I would not survive a day living in Africa. Kingsolver’s vivid imagery and attention to detail hooked me the first few pages. (Like how the family wanted to bring the Better Crocker cake mix). The different detail from each of the Price sisters presents Africa and allowed me to piece it together. I was also able to identify myself with each of the sisters. I see myself as Rachel, Adah, Leah, and Ruth May.
In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver expresses the theme of cultural arrogance many times throughout the book. Cultural arrogance is when you think your cultural background is better than others, and that everyone should follow your ways. You think that your lifestyle is the correct way to live and that you are better and superior than others. So, you don't feel the need to listen or do anything they say. In The Poisonwood Bible, the theme, cultural arrogance makes you controlling and self-absorbed. This is displayed when Nathan, the Reverend, scolds the Congolese that nakedness is the wrong way to go out in public, and then when Nathan doesn't listen to Mama Tataba when she was trying to teach him the right way to plant the Poisonwood tree, and
A symbol is an object used to stand for something else. Symbolism has a hidden meaning lying within it; these meanings unite to form a more detailed theme. Symbolism is widely used in The Scarlet Letter to help the reader better understand the deep meanings Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays throughout his novel. He shows that sin, known or unknown to the community, isolates a person from their community and from God. Hawthorne also shows this by symbols in nature around the town, natural symbols in the heavens, and nature in the forest.
Often in novels writers use symbolism as a device to make their themes and ideas come across clearly to the reader. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses many forms of symbolism. People and objects are symbolic of events and thoughts of hawthorn throughout the course of the book. The Scarlet letter itself is a symbol he uses to contradict the puritanical society of the story. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Pearl both as a symbol in the novel, and to work on the consciences of Hester and Dimmesdale.
Many authors and poets uses symbolism to express emotion and sections throughout the text. Symbols is a great literary device that can help give messages to the reader without the author being too direct. In the story, “Barns Burning” by William Faulkner, Symbolism helps analysis different emotions and meaning throughout the story.
The symbols that are used in literature can have a large impact on the story and what the reader pulls out from the story. If there was no symbol used in To Kill a Mockingbird, people would miss a lot of the story going on and they may not see the more innocent side of the story. Although symbols are used in many different forms, the one used in To Kill a Mockingbird made the story what it was. The mockingbird gave the story a whole different approach. By using a symbol in the story, the author was able to make th...
Some of the main symbols of the novel are The Hanging Wall, the colours of the clothing of the different women and the Eyes. All these symbols add different features to the story which are important. Some add fear, suspense, and overall they all add an important understanding of the story line. Margaret Atwood, was able to successfully create symbols which added depth and helped with the understanding of the novel. With these symbols she used in the novel she proved the importance and the positive effects strong symbolism can have with plot and character
Inquiry Contract Research Essay The Poisonwood Bible took place in the Congo during the 1960’s, which was a time of political unrest for the Congolese. The Congo gained their independence from the Belgians in 1960, and elected their first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba. Lumumba wanted complete control of the country, including it’s natural resources, of which the United States had “gained strategic stake in” (Nzongola-Ntalaja) because it included uranium mines. At this time, America was in the midst of the Cold War with the USSR, so the control of these mines for America was critical, especially because they believed Lumumba was siding with the Soviets.
From an early age, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, Unoka, who was unable even to feed his family. The unpredictability of receiving enough food at a young age was enough to inspire fear and embarrassment in Okonkwo who associated this embarrassment with his father and was given further justification for these feelings when he went out into Umuofia, discovering that the other villagers held similar opinions of Unoka. When he was old enough, Okonkwo began farming his own yams because “he had to support his mother and two sisters […] And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father” (25). Okonkwo’s self-reliance was admired, valued in the community where “age was respected […] but achievement was revered” (12); this admiration gave him feelings of security, and the respect of his peers pushed him towards greater self-respect, distancing him from his father. The security and respect became related in his mind as he viewed his acceptance in the community as his life’s goal and Okonk...
Throughout the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo appears to be the ultimate warrior when in reality he was consumed by fear. Okonkwo spent most of his life trying to not resemble his father, which caused him to contest change. Ironically, in the end of the novel, Okonko commits the ultimate crime, suicide. In Igbo culture, suicide is dishonorable—Okonkwo ended up like Unoka after all.
Manliness in the TFA has many aspects to it. To be considered manly in the societies in TFA one had to be physically and mentally strong, rich, and wise. The individuals in TFA had an extreme disdain for those who they considered to be inferior and often compared weak men to women referring to them as efulefu or agbala. The efulefu and agbala had no titles in the society and were often shunned whenever they were around. One of the repeating themes in TFA is the possession of yams. All through the book there is repeated mention of the size of someone’s barn full of yams or of how many yams someone had planted and reaped. This idea that the size of a man’s barn is considered respectable is noted when Achebe states, “He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams” (8). These yams represented an individual’s ability to farm and to provide their family with food. Along with this idea, yams were also considered the manly food to cultivate which Achebe points out when he states, “Yam, the king of crops, was a man’s crop” (Achebe 23). Therefore, it was considered manly to have as many yams as one could harbor. Not only was it noteworthy to have great wealth, but it was also noteworthy to have many wives and children. It was considered manly to have many wives and children primarily because it carried a man’s name on longer and further; however, it was noteworthy because it showed that a man was rich enough to provide for many people and not just himself. In order for a man to claim a title in their village they had to have achievement by having many crops, they had to have wives, and they had to have made a name for themselves. The primary method of making a name for oneself was through battle. The revered people in the society of TFA were those who readily went into battle for their village. Even more so revered were those individuals who were