Symbolism in "A Doll's House" and "Pygmalion"

Symbolism

A Doll’s House:

1) A Doll’s house- This title symbolizes Nora’s confinement within the lifestyle she lives. She is expected to live as a mindless object within the walls of her house, with no responsibilities aside from those expected of a wife. She plays with the children and thinks of money and clothing, at least that is the personality she exhibits.

2) macaroons- These cookies show her childish tendencies, such as sneaking unhealthy food. It also shows the side of her that she hides from her husband, or her concealed self.

3) Christmas tree- Another symbol of concealing in the book. Nora wants to hide the Christmas tree from her children, showing secrecy. She also does not want them to see it before it has been decorated, symbolizing the contrast between realistic and idealistic, which is a common theme throughout the novel. "Hide the Christmas Tree carefully, Helen. Be sure the children do not see it till this evening, when it is dressed." (3)

4) Bird, Squirrel- These nicknames are representative of Nora’s false self, or the image she portrays. She is shown as a mindless woman who innocently lives her life according to her husband and wastes her time on frivolous things.

5) Tarantella- This dance symbolizes Nora’s change from an innocent woman (the bird) to more of a devious character. It shows the transformation into her true self, which is not a transformation that her husband enjoys. She becomes more independent in thoughts and actions at this point and is attempting to conceal the fact that she went behind her husband’s back in order to get a loan. She is spinning a "web of lies".

6) the bond- The bond symbolizes the secrets Nora keeps from her husband, and is the basis for much of the conflict in the story. It is seen as a thing of evil, and seems to bring out the worst traits in each character, such as Nora’s lies, Torvald’s self-involvement (for he worries only about what it will do to his career), and Krogstad’s vengefulness.

7) the letter- The letter symbolizes Nora’s vulnerability and is a cause of panic toward the end of the play. Once it is discovered it will expose Nora’s deceit to her husband and put their family in jeopardy.

8) Doctor Rank- This character symbolizes fate in the play. He speaks frequently of the sickness in society and seems to have a pessimistic view of the world. He is dying and must meet the fate he has been dealt, since fate cannot be altered and only accepted.

9) Mrs. Linde- She shows contrast to Nora and represents the coming of age of women.

10) Money- Symbolizes the shallowness of this society, since much of the play revolves around it. Many of the characters lives seem to depend on money in order to fulfill their needs.

Pygmalion:

1) Pygmalion- This title symbolizes the difference between real and superficial human characteristics. Pygmalion was the man in Greek myth who created a statue of a woman who turned real. This play is the inverse of that story. It involves a real girl who is turned into a "statue" or an object created by Higgens.

2) taxi- The taxi shows the division between the upper and lower classes in this play. The mother and daughter are looking for a taxi in the beginning of the play and complain about being in the rain, while the poorer people must bear the rain. "But we must have a cab. We cant stand here until half-past eleven. It’s too bad." (3)

3) slippers-These symbolize Higgens’ feeling of possessiveness over Eliza and also Eliza’s internal strength. He demands that she fetch his slippers for him and she throws them at him, which eventually leads to her departure and decision that she will live without him, showing her integrity.

4) letters- Letters seem to symbolize devotion in this play. Freddy writes Eliza very frequently, which convinces her of his love for her.

5) money- Money is of great importance to each character throughout the play. It is what divides the classes and causes Eliza to want to change her appearance and speech. Much of the motivation behind the characters’ actions is driven by money.

6) flowers- Symbolize nature’s beauty and show how Eliza ends up flourishing and blooming like a flower. Flowers are shown in the beginning which can predict the changes she will go through, but they are also always constant in her life. She wants a job that involves flowers, and this does not change, just like her internal self does not change either.

7) handkerchief- The handkerchief symbolizes part of Eliza’s change from a flower girl to a proper woman. She is taught to use it from the beginning of her transformation, and it is her first step to becoming a duchess. "Remember: thats your handkerchief; and thats your sleeve. Don’t mistake the one for the other if you wish to become a lady in a shop." (20)

8) piano- A piano is a symbol of wealth in this book. The upper class people seem to all own pianos and are able to play them, showing their success and proper disposition.

9) Mr. Doolittle- This character is a symbol of non-conformity in the play. He is contrasted with Eliza, who manages to conform to the role in society that was made for her by Higgens. Mr. Doolittle was given a similar deal, where he was given money and a job, only he did not enjoy his new role in society and refused to change his own thoughts and feelings because of it. "Done to me! Ruined me. Destroyed my happiness. Tied me up and delivered me into the hands of middle class morality." (73)

10) chocolates- These are used to bribe Eliza into doing what they need her to, and symbolize the childish side of her personality.

The House of the Spirits Thesis

Allende uses the relationship between Esteban and Clara to portray opposing opinions throughout the novel. Clara represents a dreamer, while Esteban is the more down to Earth candidate of the two. In politics, Clara has the more liberal point of view while Esteban's disposition leans fervently toward conservatism. Contrast is shown between the two in the aspect of maternal and paternal roles as well. The role of Clara as a mother and wife is fairly typical of that time period. Esteban is a stereotypical old-fashioned father figure and husband.

Clara's spiritual personality often clashes with Esteban's more corporeal opinions. Although it would seem that Clara should be less influential and more shadowed by Esteban's strong personality, both characters are able to make large differences in the world around them by using two very opposite techniques. "Clara let him scream his head off and bang on the furniture until he was exhausted. Then, inattentive as ever, she asked him if he knew how to wiggle his ears." (106) Clara attracts people to her by having an abstract and interesting personality. She gains the trust and admiration of those around her because while she seems passive and absent to the world, she is set in her ways and has no interest in conforming to alternative lifestyles. Esteban has a dominating personality and is more forceful in his dealings with other people. He wants others to conform to his ways of thinking and his beliefs and doesn't develop any type of emotional attachment to most people. These two opposing roles come together in a marriage and create an intricate conflict which both draws the reader and gives insight into two viewpoints.

Note: I realize I should have more quotes to support my claims toward each individuals personalities, but I couldn't figure out a way to do that without making the paragraph look too quotey.

Thesis Attempt #2 (tee hee hee, Nick, if you're reading this, I said number two!)

Since I had my unfortunate incident with blogger.com last night and couldn't see Ms.MacDonell's feedback, I'm trying to pull off three new paragraphs tonight. They will not be great, and they will not be final draft because I have piles of homework and don't have time to spare. I'm having quite a bit of trouble trying to pinpoint exactly how to word my statement. It is not going well, so I'll call this my sad half-attempt:

Cultural changes occured in both the Ilunjinle tribe and the Igbo tribe, however the changes in The Lion and the Jewel were brought about by the media, while Things Fall Apart had more violent changes. Some people of the Ilunjinle tribe were converted to follow alternate ways of life because of the books published by other cultures. Propaganda was introduced throughout the tribe, causing tribal values to change. Also, an uproar went through the tribe when foreign visitors showed off their new technology. In the Igbo tribe, the intrudors brought Christianity to some of the more willing members, taking away from their true culture. Resentment built up towards the Christians, and many deaths resulted. The drastic changes taking place made several in the tribe lose touch with their true roots. Some people in the Ilunjinle tribe were fascinated by the ideas conatined in the books that were spreading around.
The different ways of life of other cultures were being introduced to people in The Lion and the Jewel. This fascinated some people, who had never heard of any other way but their own. Lakunle, the schoolteacher, was a prime example of one of those people. He discovered that women were not to be married just so they could bear his children, they were to love and be loved in return. He had decided that bride-pricing was no longer the way to go, because it did not show love, it showed women as being treated as a child-bearing housekeeper. Women should be treated as the man's equal. However, not everything was modernized yet because men still believed women had very small brains and could not think as well as they. It had been unheard of not to pay the bride-price when a wedding was to be had, but these books had made Lakunle think differently, it had opened him up to explore ways of life he had never heard of before. Books were not the only type of media being spread around the village as the magazine became famous.
A magazine was published and distributed throughout the village, which in turn caused much excitement. The ladies were in awe over Sidi, whose beauty had been published in the magazine. They forgot about their "true role" in their tribe, which was to cook and clean and raise children. They became vain over this materialistic world, and wanted more than anything to be a part of it. Sidi was the most vain. Her ego grew and she cared about nothing but her looks and her fame. She wanted to be better than Bale Baroka, so she forgets her "true female duties" and tries to work herself to the top. In the end, this fails her. Her heart is no longer in the tribal life, and she is lead down a path of misery.

I am having quite a bit of trouble writing this in so short a time. I am trying to word my thesis so it includes Ilunjinle vs Igbo, modern vs traditional, and media vs violence, but I'm finding it hard to fit all of that in one concise statement. The paragraphs were poorly done, I didn't get a change to do a good, solid outline, so I will be working on all of that.

My first paragraph

In both The Lion and the Jewel and Things Fall Apart, the sudden cultural changes were brought about by the intrusions of other cultures. The intruding factors in The Lion and the Jewel came more from the foreign propaganda that was spreading throughout the Ilujinle tribe, causing some members of the tribe to begin changing theirs beliefs. The school teacher, Lakunle, was an example of this when he began reading books and not going along with some of the tribe's traditions. Sidi, the village belle, became completely infatuated with herself when the intruding photographer put her pictures in a magazine, causing her to forget some of the old ways. The magazine itself was brought in by people foreign to Nigeria, and it caused the tribe to act in unorthdox ways. In Things Fall Apart, there were more personal intrusions, where the white men physically came to their villiage and brought Christianity to the people. Nwoye, Okonkwo's son, is an example of one of the tribe members who was converted out of the Igbo lifestyle. The foreigners caused anger among those who were not swayed by the Christian belief, and violence broke out because of this anger. Also, one of the strongest men in the tribe, Okonkwo, was driven to killing himself because of the forceful impact the missionaries had.

Also, I have a question for you Ms.MacDonell. When there are book titles in your essay, how are you supposed to write them? Do you underline them or put quotations around them or what?

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