Symbolism in the English Patient Essay examples - 987 Words

Micheal Ondaatje creates meaning and representation in The English Patient, through the structure of his novel. The author portrays the sequence of events in a non-linear fashion to incorporate them as a puzzle-like story. The puzzle is significant because, the reader is constantly unraveling the novels excerpts together. Symbolism is an important aspect of these passages because, it provides a better understanding of the issues related to the novel such as, destruction, identity, escape, unity, and love. Fire is used symbolically and has an appearance in the lives of all characters as a destructive element. Once the bomb is dropped on Japan and, It rolls across cities like a burst map, the hurricane of heat withering bodies as†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, fire is also associated as a cleanser in the condition of the English Patient, where his identity becomes obliterated. The identity of the English Patient is a mystery from the beginning of the novel, since he lives his life as a spy; however, when he is burned he is completely erased of all nationality and begins to go against the English. What great nation had found him...What country invented such soft dates to be chewed by the man beside him and then passed from that mouth on his. (6), this quotation reflects how the fire has opened up the English Patient into further civilization where no one is labeled or seen as an enemy. The desert is also a metaphor for identity. It constantly changes and is without borders therefore, it cannot be mapped. Identity is seen in a similar way because, ...we became nationless. The desert taught me to hate nations, this statement conveys the idea that people are not defined by nations, thus people are indefinable and changing. The image of the desert and water is portrayed together, especially in relation to the English Patient. The English Patient is linked with the desert, while Katharine is continuously associated with water. In order to survive in a desert, water is essential. This combination of water and desert reflects the importance ofShow MoreRelatedCharacterization And Imagery Of Hester Prynne Essay1306 Words   |  6 Pagesbandied between my great-grandsires and myself, across the gulf of time! And yet, let them scorn me as they will, strong traits of their nature have intertwined themselves with mine† (Hawthorne 10). Chapter 1 – The Prison Door Juxtaposition and Symbolism â€Å"It may serve, let us hope, to symbolize some sweet moral blossom, that may be found along the track or relive the darkening close of a tale of human frailty and sorrow† (Hawthorne 46). Chapter 2 – The Market-Place Characterization and Imagery ofRead MoreGodsgift Tamuno. Dr. Tweedy . English 102-11. 28 February1417 Words   |  6 PagesGodsgift Tamuno Dr. Tweedy English 102-11 28 February 2017 Thesis: Eudora Welty paints the picture of a life journey in the short story â€Å"A Worn Path† through the use of symbolism, imagery, and tone. I. Include a sentence describing symbolism here. A. Supporting information of how symbolism was used 1. First symbol of when the log was laid across the creek 2. Second symbol of the man she came across. (racism) 3. Third symbol the fact that she was picking up the coin B. All the symbols throughoutRead MoreThe Battle At Fort Sumter987 Words   |  4 PagesNatalie Lockman Professor Campbell English 112 The Battle at Fort Sumter Being raised in the south, there are somethings that life teaches a person; you always hold the door, acknowledge someone as they pass you by, and always say â€Å"ya’ll†. The southern culture is something that sites in its own niche of history and drags the past into the future. In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the reader gets a taste of the south and the way of southern living through an outside view of Emily Grierson’sRead MoreSir Gawain and the Green Knight Hunt vs. Temptation: a Comparison816 Words   |  4 Pagesand in parallel, the three temptations, monopolize a considerable portion of the story. In a comparison of the three hunts and their corresponding temptations, we will see how the poet parallels these circumstances to emphasize the meaning of its symbolism. In Medieval times, people believed many animals had human qualities, which is consistent with the telling of this story. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight comprises three hunts; each of a different animal, which the poet describes in great detailRead MoreHow to Talk to a Hunter954 Words   |  4 PagesLara Docarmo Professor Krista Keyes English 1020 06/20/2016 Word Count: 916 An Analysis of Pam Houston’s â€Å"How to Talk to a Hunter† Pam Houston’s â€Å"How to Talk to a Hunter† shows the different ways men and women think and act. How both men and women interpret and make sense of things differently. Just like any relationship, there comes a time where ends don’t meet. In this particular story, the hunter and the narrator have a hard time understandingRead MoreThe Relationship Between Warm Colors and Positive Mood 871 Words   |  4 PagesMethodology, published the results of 156 patients consisting of 127 females and 29 males who participated in this study. Each one of the patients has respond questions such as: With regard to your day-to-day mood over the last few months, do you associate it with a particular color? If so, which color? The researchers developed an instrument called Manchester Color Wheel to classify colors into positive, neutral and negative shades that administered to the patients. According to the MCW chart positivesRead MoreLife Is Too Short On The Brain By Tobia s Wolff1608 Words   |  7 PagesRichard Aguilera Jacqui Shehorn English 1B 11 March 11, 2015 Life is too Short Phillips Brooks once said, â€Å"Be patient and understanding. Life is too short to be vengeful or malicious. In Amy Bloom’s â€Å"Silver Water†, Boom shows how Rose once led a normal life, but later suffered from a mental illness that led her life to go unstable and take her life away through overdosing on pills. In contrast, in Tobias Wolff’s short story, â€Å"Bullet in the Brain† an unconcerned book critique, by the name of AndersRead MoreThe Portrayal of Ophelia on Stage Over the Years959 Words   |  4 Pagesof  emblematic  conventions  for the representation of female madness: dishevelled hair worn down, dressed in white, bedecked with wild flowers, Ophelias state of mind would have been immediately readable to her first audiences.[12]  Colour was a major source of stage symbolism, Andrew Gurr explains, so the contrast between Hamlets nighted colour (1.2.68) and customary suits of solemn black (1.2.78) and Ophelias virginal and vacant whi te would have conveyed specific and gendered associations.[13]  Her action ofRead More Edvard Munch: A Biography Essay examples709 Words   |  3 Pagesto express their feelings about all the change that was happening around. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Edvard Munch was born in Norway in 1863; he knew how a persons emotional pain feels. He was the son of an Army Medical Corp doctor who brought patients at home all the time. His mother died when he was only five years of age. His oldest sister died of disease at the age of fifteen. Edvard himself was often ill. One of his youngest sisters was also diagnosed with a mental illness at an early ageRead MoreEssay about Carl Gustav Jung1078 Words   |  5 Pagesquot;On the Psychology and Pathology of So -Called Occult Phenomenaquot;. Through this work one of his basic concepts is outlined, the underlying wholeness of the psyche. Jungs first research was conducted in 1904. He studied word association in patients. He found groups of repressed psychic content for which he invented the now famous word quot;complex.quot; This study brought him close to the work of Sigmund Freud. Jungs work confirmed many of Freuds ideas. Between 1907 and 1912 he and