BLOG #4: Symbol/theme

Symbol and theme in a play or novel are crucial in the development of the work, but often even create the basis of a novel or reoccurring aspect to the whole work.  First of all, an author often includes symbol on his or her work to express a different type of opinion or draw into focus real-life issues prevalent at the time of the work.  For example, in Rafael, by Ana María Matute, the metaphor of a bird in a cage ties in with Spanish Civil War that was occurring at the time the work was written.  This bird, oppressed and confined for days by the cage was finally set free.  The bird flying free in a metaphor for the spanish people who have been liberated during the Spanish Civil War.  The cage is a metaphor for the oppression of the people.  In any given narrative, there may be moments that can be understood in ways that transcend the literal, as expressed in Rafael.  In this case, the moment that the bird was liberated from the restrictions of a cage was the moment that transcends the literal.  Moreover, the bird's liberation has a thematic meaning to the whole story, and a metaphorical one that intertwines with the current events of the era in which the story was written.  Next, theme is often the basis that keeps a work moving, and arguably the most important literary aspect to a work.  For example, in Hamlet, the theme's of life and apparitions keep the whole play moving.  Furthermore, in Pride & Prejudice, the themes of class, reputation, and wealth/status determine the whole story, and what it is about.