Use Of Metaphors In Pita Of The Deep And Separation

How do metaphors in the short stories, Pita of the Deep and Separation convey elaborate truths? In each story, the authors weave different metaphors throughout their writing for readers to interpret hidden meanings. The literal interpretation of Pita of the Deep appears to be about a wayward fish named Pita who escapes a cast net because of his miniature size. The story follows Pita’s progression as a fish and his entrance into the open ocean. On the other hand, Separation is told in the perspective of a wealthy newborn baby who has just entered the world. In this story, the narrator develops a friendship with the baby beside him and slowly discovers the social class divide between their family. Both stories use distinctive metaphors to illustrate

the complications in the world, the innocence of children, and the protection provided from families.

Pita of the Deep illustrates the dangers that lie within the ocean by using a monster to symbolize the hazards.

The world problem is metaphorically embodied in this story with the idea of a monster. This monster is portrayed as a net, however, metaphorically this net could represent the threats that are present in the world. These hazards can be drugs, alcohol or even sexual abuse. This complex metaphor is illustrating how encountering a monstrous “net” is inevitable. Despite how sheltered and ingenuous one can be, these hazards will challenge yourself and the people around you. Pita first encounters the monster at a young age, however, due to his size, he managed to escape. This encounter could symbolize the experiences that people face when we grow up with constant dangers surrounding us. We may be naive and unaware of the situation because the truth is that the world is not as safe as we may think. However, we were all raised from a young age where we were protected from the dangers of the world and the reality of this uncertain world is too convoluted for our young brains to comprehend. Since we were young, we were shielded from the evil of the world by our parents in order to preserve our innocence. Pita’s encounter with the

monster is an allegorical meaning which conveys that we are oblivious of the evils that lurk in our society until we are confronted by it. Pita’s mother was reluctant on releasing her son into the open world because of the unpredictable risks that exist in society. Pita’s mother represents the distress that all mothers face when letting their children enter adulthood. She delineates the strive that parents possess in order to shield their child from the dangers in the world in order to protect their innocence. Despite wanting to protect your child from all the menaces of the world, there are situations where you just cannot control. That is the terrifying price of reality for parents, which is losing the power to protect your child. Pita of the Deep uses complex metaphors to symbolize the threats of the world and how they affect children and parents.

Conversely, Separation uses similar figurative concepts to emphasize the social class divide between the rich and the poor in China.

In this story, the narrator is exposed to the harsh reality of the economic divide before the Chinese Civil War between the Communists and the Nationalists. The symbolic narrator and his new friend, represent the rich and the poor in today’s society. Although this story occurred prior to the Chinese Civil War, the separation in society due to social class is still pertinent today. As the narrator starts talking to his new friend, they were both oblivious of the separation in the social hierarchy. When the story progresses, the narrator begins to realize his privileges that are not accommodated to his friend and is treated differently by the staff and their families. This story highlights the social divide between the rich and the poor in society and how that influence our future. The narrator and his friends were newborns that had never left the hospital premises. At first, they were naive and unaware of their identity in the society. However, as they become more aware of who they are and where they belong in the social hierarchy, society begins to shape them differently.Their unawareness did not protect them from the truth about society. During the ten days the narrator and his friends were in the hospital, they were perceived as equal. They were not aware of who they were and what role they had in society. However, when they left the safety

of the hospital, they were separated from the equality they once shared, and were whisked into the division of social classes between wealthy and poor. Their oblivion sheltered them away from the reality of social division, until they left the hospital and were separated into their place in society. The parents of the narrator and his friend provided different ideas of protection for their child. The wealthy family of the narrator had planned an abundance of prospering opportunities for their child. They wanted to ensure that their child would be well educated and will have everything they need. This family is protecting their child’s future by providing opportunities for education and extra curriculars. On the other hand, the poor family of the narrator’s friend does not have money to guarantee their child an education or a future. Their protection for their child is a job that will teach him perseverance and hard work in order to achieve significant goals. Although the poorer family cannot guarantee an education, or an abundance of delicious food, they can provide a hardworking demeanor for their son. Although the society in the story Separation is based on the social class prior to the Chinese Civil War, it is still relevant today, as the divide between the rich and poor continues to separate our society.