A Probe into Literary Symbolism Essay Example for Free

A Probe into Literary Symbolism testThis here is my name, to begin with, he said. ARNOLD FRIEND was written in tarlike black letters on the cheek (Oates, 33). This self-introduction of Arnold Friend in Joyce Carol Oates Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? sums up the allegorical irony which is also to be found in Good unpolished People by Flannery OConnor. Both the improvident stories atomic number 18 replete with a profusion of symbolisations acting as a set of literary devices. This essay is loss to probe into literary symbolisms and their influence on the overall development of the two short stories. Especial wildness will be given to two symbolic literary devices that have helped establish the thematic constructs. terce main themes are addressed in Good Country People good versus vile the likeliness of salvation after experience with violence and the exposing of intellectual falsifications. (enotes, 2009) The protagonist Joy, who later changes her name to Hu lga, becomes aware of the evil through her bitter encounter with Manley Pointer, a Bible sales slice.Even though she used to take plume in her being different from other country people courtesy of education, it occurs to her in the course of her life-time that Nothing is the only substantial faith she behind cling onto. So the knowledge of evil she gains can be attributed to her experience with nothingness. This hefty irony is masterfully explained through the symbolic usage of book of facts names. The plot of land lacks in motion as far as external flow of action is concerned. Instead, the author concentrates on the internal world of her components to study their psychological traits.Born as Joy, the protagonist changes her name to Hulga because she thinks she is too ugly to be called by a happy name such as Joy. She deliberately misleads her family in stray to find peace in isolation. Her mother Mrs. Hopewells name bears another striking irony in the sense that their family , once struck with misery and economic struggle, is stripped off both hope and wellness. Mr. and Mrs. freewoman belong to the social status of tenant farmers and hence they are not free.But the most penetrating irony is demonstrated in the naming of the Bible salesman Manley Pointer. There is a phallic allusion to the first name, apocalyptical of a male dominance. (Associated Content, 2007) In addition to this, his subsequent escapades with Hulga are hardly in sync with the trade he is in. Inspired by the infamous Tucson killing of several girls by a young man in the early 1960s, Joyce Carol Oats wrote the short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? which was published in her short story collection The Wheel of Love in 1970.From thematic perspectives, the story fundamentally deals with teenage problems of cognizant perspectives. Connie, a typical teenage uptown girl, is preoccupied with material thoughts and concerns. Her actions are grossly impulsive without a good d eal forethought into consequences. Connies flirtatious demeanor lands her in serious trouble once she comes in polish off with Arnold Friend. So the story can be regarded as a contemporary documentation of the American edict in the 1960s and 1970s, soaringlighting the adolescent perils.As far as literary device is concerned, the character of Arnold Friend is thematically antonymous to his name. His manipulative use of language exerts psychological pressures on Connie. Friends strange physical appearance makes for the unique interpretation that he is a manifestation of the devil superstar of his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasnt in it. It pointed out to the left, bent at the ankle. (Celestial Timepiece, 2007) Furthermore, the referral to the conjecture of Friends wooden leg can be compared with Hulgas wooden leg in Good Country People.Now as Hulga undergoes a transformation of sorts in the end of the story, Oats keeps her readers guessing astir(predicate) the fate of Connie. There is ample evidence to suggest that just like Hulga, Connie also heads for a piercing destiny after she confronts devil in the form of Friend. This subtle but expressive use of symbolism accounts for a potent literary device in both the short stories. A thorough character analysis of the two protagonists leads to the finding of more resemblances than differences.Both have been given their fair share of intellectual sophistication in the beginning before the thematic construct of isolation is built around them. Hulgas didactic but hollow conversation with Manley only reveals her intense urge to be seen by others as socially superior. Similarly, Connies careless disposition in the way she wishes to draw the attention of older high school boys is just too pretentious to pass for honest and sensible behavior. Although Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?has importantly lesser number of characters compared to Good Country People, it is evident from the reading t hat the fate of nearly all the characters in both stories hinges on the actions of the main protagonists. If this minimalist factor, particularly in case of the second story, is taken into status as a parameter for symbolic interpretation of the texts, both authors leave plenty of scope for the readers to quantify the thematic progressions.BibliographyAssociated Content. (2007, May 7). An Analysis of Flannery OConnors Good Country People.Retrieved March 12, 2009, from http//www. associatedcontent. com/article/235649/an_analysis_of_flannery_oconnors_good_pg2. hypertext mark-up language? cat=4 Celestial Timepiece. (2007). Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from http//jco. usfca. edu/works/wgoing/text. html enotes. (2009). Good Country People Overview. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from http//www. enotes. com/good-country-people Oates, Joyce Carol. , and Showalter, Elaine. Where are you going, where have you been? . Piscataway Rutgers University Press, 1994.