The Importance Of The Tulips In The Handmaid's Tale

In John Steinbacks “The Chrysanthemums,” the shift of the setting from the ranch to the road plays an important role in the development of the main character, Elisa. Therefore, in the first setting, Elisa is in her garden attending to her the chrysanthemums, which she loves and cares for. Immediately, we’re placed in a rural setting, where women happen to live in isolation and man is manly. Elisa sneaks quick glances towards the men by the tractor shed, who is talking to her husband, waiting for them to leave, so she can throw aside her gloves and work her fingers into the soil of the garden. However, Elisa shows her fearless side by quickly digging in the garden, with her eagerness to grow her chrysanthemums, right after the men leave. Consequently,

In Nella Larsen’s novel, The Passing, Irene Redfield is an outgoing Harlem woman. She opens a letter from Clare Bellew, who is married to a white man who does not know that his wife is black. Clare insists that she is lonely, isolated as she is from her own people, and she asks Irene to meet her again. Irene recalls her encounter with Clare in Chicago two years prior, in Clare’s home, she and another light-skinned black woman had been forced to listen to attacks about black people delivered by Clare’s racist husband. Now, Irene understands that Clare wants to use her in order to enter the Harlem society, although still pretending to be white, she can be with her own race. Sexual passing and racial passing play a major role in this novel,

Racism was always a big issue and still occurs today. The story “Passing” took place in the 1920’s during the Harlem Renaissance and it spoke about the term “Passing” which indicates that African American’s who looked lighted skin can go to public places without being discriminated. In “Passing” Nella Larsen demonstrates how racism causes jealousy, resentment, and dishonesty in relationships. The idea is conveyed through inner conflict, the conflict between the main characters and how the Harlem Renaissance period inflicts tension in relationships.

In a person’s life, many situations transpire and make them feel pride over one’s self. Readers can see this in the short story,” The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. “In his spare time Hurst wrote short stories and plays, but The Scarlet Ibis was the only work of his that become famous “(gradesaver.com)”. In the short story, “The Scarlet Ibis” James Hurst uses red to symbolize warning, death, and guilt to show the change the older brother goes through, as he takes care of Doodle.

“Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between.” (Lee 278). When it comes to the topic of flowers, most of us will readily agree that they represent development, growth, beauty and happiness. For instance, Roses are known for signifying love and deep passion while Lotus flowers are known for purity of the heart. Nonetheless, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee utilizes flowers to symbolize the strength and character that women of Maycomb possess.

Lizbeth in her distress at overhearing her parents conversation directs her anger and fear at Miss. Lottie’s marigolds . The marigolds a symbolize beauty that only Ms. Lottie, a scary old lady , possesses. “For some perverse reason, we children hated those marigolds. They interfered with the perfect ugliness of the place.”(5). The beauty of the flowers against the extreme background of poverty makes the children's realize the lack of beauty and hope in their future. The children do not know whey they are angry by the flowers but the flowers represents the only hope, beauty and life amongst their life in the dust. When Lizbeth hears her father sobbing over his inability to find a job, she loses hope because her father had represented strength

In Edith Wharton’s novel, Ethan Frome, the author uses symbolism to add depth to the story. Throughout the novel the cat embodies Zeena presence even if she is not in the room. The pickle-dish and the breaking of it symbolizes Ethan and Zeena’s marriage. Many different emotions and feeling are represented by the color red. Edith Wharton uses symbolism to add to the story. The cat symbolizes Zeena when she is not there.

There are two ways people will react to when their freedom is taken away. They will either accept it or rebel against it, which is what a lot of the female characters in Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale accomplished. Shown through Offred’s repetition of certain events, Moira’s tone of being a fighter, and Serena Joy’s desperation, the reader can see that lack of freedom leads to rebellion.

In the short story “The Chrysanthemums” written by John Steinbeck, the flowers are symbolizing more than the eye may catch. The author displays how important these chrysanthemums are to Elisa Allen, but there is a deeper meaning to the flowers than just the love she has for them. The chrysanthemums represented more than just a passion and more than just her strength, but also her dignity. When they were thrown out on the side of the road, they symbolized her dignity which was now gone since the man she trusted them with had abandoned them and her husband she catered to lacked affection for her, because through their lenses she will never be enough.

Rebellion; the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention. The Handmaid’s Tale written by Margaret Atwood is a novel. The novel takes place in Gilead a dystopian society. Everyone in Gilead has an important role to play within the society, however, it seems as if none of the characters seem content with their role, due to the restrictions they face. In the novel, the lack of freedom leads to rebellion as shown by the characterization, interior dialogue, flashbacks, and foreshadowing.

Throughout the novel The Things They Carried there is many different symbols presented. A symbol is an object that is used to represent something else. One main symbol within this book is in the chapter “stockings”. Within this chapter they talk about how Henry Dobbins would always do something weird before they went anywhere. Dobbins would take his girlfriend's pantyhose and wrap it around his neck. He would do this for a few different reasons. His first reason is that, “The pantyhose, he said, had the properties of a good-luck charm,”(115 Stockings). He also stated that, “he believed firmly and absolutely in the protective power of the stockings,” (116 Stockings). Both of these together show how the stockings are more than just stockings

Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), presents several controversial yet realistic themes that can be linked to many social justice issues in today’s society. One central point that is highlighted throughout the novel is the objectification of women. In Atwoods novel women transition from normal citizens in society, to baby birthing machines. Women no longer acquire the respect, authority, freedom, and power that men have in the world of Gilead. This objectification that the handmaids are exposed to can be seen all throughout our environment, and there is no limit to where it can occur. At work, schools, on television news, in magazines...women are enclosed in this ideal image and set of standards that is far off from the average

The Madonna is a symbol for freedom and sacred feminism. It helps develop the theme of an independent women throughout the plot and allows Lily to see the prominent women figure that she never had (Hasan, Jabriel). It is this prominent women figure depicted in Black Madonnas gives a sense of power to women through the ability to create life. This idea celebrates the gift of reproduction and emphasizes the role of the mother figure (Hasan, Jabriel). Along with the powerful symbol of the Black Madonna, flowers also serve as a way to convey the same theme. The main Character's name, Lily, is in itself a symbol. The flower, Lily, is a predominantly white flower. This symbolizes the purity of the virgin mary. In addition, she finds a book in August’s bedroom that has pictures of the angel Gabriel giving a flower lily to Mary (Huseby, Amy). Rosaleen's name is also a significant symbol in the novel due to the fact that her name is very similar to the name Rosslyn. This name is vital because it means “rose line”,this term references the bloodline of Mary (Huseby, Amy). Flowers are also a clear symbol for fertility, much like Mary’s blessed fertility. The concept

In Margaret Atwood’s novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, Moira is depicted as the symbol for resistance to authority and represents hope to the Handmaids. Atwood presents her as a polar opposite to Offred. She is independent, strong-willed, and outspoken. Conversely, the pair can be argued to be doubles in the fact that they both ‘resist’ to the oppressive Republic in Gilead.

Often, we see a society’s cultural values reflected in its citizens. For example, the United States values equality, a standard that is shared in all facets including gender. The opposite is true of Gilead, a fictional society in Emily Bronte’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel’s main character, Offred, is subjected to degrading treatment simply because she is a woman. It becomes apparent that this repeated degradation has affected the protagonist’s mind. Through first-person point of view and the motif of eyes, Brontë establishes the effects of Gilead’s patriarchal society on Offred’s psychological and moral traits, revealing that the only way to survive in an oppressive society is to outwardly conform.