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Analyzing Symbol in Longer Fiction or Drama

Prompt

Choose an object, setting, or event, and discuss different ways that it can function as a symbol. Think of at least three novels or films where it is used symbolically and discuss the different interpretations the symbols carry in each narrative.

Examples or ideas could include but are not limited to: fog, a gun, religious icon, American Flag, a cave, an apple, or an open window.

Provide the name of the text/film, author and the symbol. Then list the different interpretations that symbol holds in each text.

Response

Symbol: The cave

Allegory of the Cave

  • The cave represents the state of ignorance and the shadows on the walls are the false realities that people believe in. The journey out of the cave symbolizes the philosopher's ascent to knowledge and enlightenment.
  • The cave also represents illusions, while the outside world represents the reality. Plato demonstrates the importance of questioning and examining our beliefs and perceptions to reach a true understanding of reality.

The Odyssey

  • The cave of Polyphemus, the Cyclops, symbolizes the theme of temptation and the dangers that come with it. Odysseus and his men are tempted by the prospect of hospitality and resources, but they soon find themselves in grave danger.
  • The way Odysseus devises a plan to escape the cave highlights his cleverness and resourcefulness, important traits for a hero in Greek literature.
  • After blinding Polyphemus, Odysseus reveals his true identity, which leads to the Cyclops praying to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus. This event in the cave symbolizes the theme of divine punishment and the wrath of the gods in Ancient Greek culture.

Lord of the Flies

  • As the boys spend more time on the island and away from the structures of society, they descend into savagery. The cave could be seen as a symbol of this loss of civilization, as it represents a return to a more primitive, primal state of being.