Seminar 4. Symbol and Symbolism in Literature
Question No. 7. A modernist symbol is many-layered. Speak about Private, or
Authorial symbols introduced by modernist authors (E. Hemingway, D. H.
Lawrence, E. M. Forster, Henry James, etc).
Contextual, Private, or Authorial Symbols gain meaning mainly within individual
works. A reader needs some background knowledge for interpreting and analyzing
them. Private symbols do not have pre-established associations: the meaning that is
attached to them emerges from the context of the work in which they occur. A writer
gives his own personal symbolic significance to an object, event or color. A
modernist symbol is many-layered. Symbols occur in stories as well as in poems, but
poetry relies more heavily on symbols because it is more concise and because it
comprises more forms than fiction, which is confined to narratives alone. In
literature symbolism implies a special relationship that expands our ordinary
understanding of words, descriptions, and arguments.
E. Hemingway. E. Hemingway’s symbol-building is remarkable. In his writings
rain symbolizes disaster, hopelessness, despair. In the novel “A Farewell to Arms”
it is a symbol of tragedy and omen of misfortune. Mountains are a symbol of home,
security and love. In “The snow of Kilimanjaro” mountains represent immortality,
both material and spiritual, an inaccessible dream, an ideal truth, artistic perfection
for which E. Hemingway struggled all his life. The image of the hills resembling
white elephants (in the story “Hills like White Elephants”) can be interpreted in
different ways. It is something exotic and may be associated with some oriental
childish fairy-tale, with flamboyant colors, flowers, wonders and happiness. The
hills-elephants are so calm, kind and beautiful; they seem cool and comforting on a
hot summer day. It symbolizes a human happiness that is just a dream in this absurd
world where people have created walls. In his short story “Cat in the Rain”, Ernest
Hemingway uses imagery and subtlety to convey to the reader that the relationship
between the American couple is in its crisis and is quite clearly dysfunctional. What
seems to be a simple tale of an American couple spending a rainy afternoon inside
their hotel room in Italy serves as a great metaphor for their relationship. The
symbolic imagery, hidden behind common objects, gives the story all its
significance. The cat itself is so essential to the story that E. Hemingway used the
word in the title, thus stating the theme of the story. “The cat” is symbolic of an
American wife’s emotional state and it also epitomizes a baby the woman wishes
she had. In E. Hemingway’s stories long hair is a symbol of happiness. Happy
women have long hair. The cutting of Maria’s hair in “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is
a symbol of her loss of normal womanhood just as the growing of her hair indicates
her gradual return to balance and health. In many of Hemingway's works, alcohol is
a recurring symbol that goes beyond its literal representation. It often serves as a
means for characters to cope with the harsh realities of life, reflecting the
disillusionment and existential angst prevalent in the modernist era.
D.H. Lawrence. In D. H. Lawrence’s prose works, animal imagery abounds and a
horse is one of the most important of these images. Usually it is introduced briefly
but its appearance occurs invariably at key points in the plot and it functions
symbolically. The horse that appears briefly in “Love among the Haystacks” (1912)
is used as a symbol of sensuality. The horse in “French Sons of Germany” (1912) is
subjugated and destroyed by the bullying and torment it endures at the hands of the
soldiers who are amused by its suffering.
1) The living horse here is associated with the French people, who are likewise
referred to as being warm and alive, but who are subjugated by the cold Germans.
2) D.H. Lawrence also criticizes the military here. Just as the soldiers try to destroy
the sensitive nature of the horse, so the military way of life is destructive of the
essential feelings in any man. This attitude is expressed more emphatically in “The
Prussian Officer” (1913) and “The Thorn in the Flesh” (1913).
3) The horse also represents here all living, spontaneous creatures that are
imprisoned and tormented by a society which, having lost its own potency feels
threatened by vitality and refuses to tolerate it.
In D.H. Lawrence's "Women in Love," the character of Gerald Crich can be seen as
a symbol of the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and the loss of emotional
connection in the modern world. His relationships with the other characters serve as
a reflection of the societal changes taking place during the time the novel was
written.
E. M. Forster. E.M. Forster, renowned for his insightful exploration of human
connections and social constraints, employed compelling private symbols within his
narratives. In "A Room with a View," the resonant symbol of the titular room offers
a layered representation of personal liberty, emotional unfoldment, and the conflict
between societal conventions and individual desires. The room becomes a private
domain wherein characters grapple with their innermost longings and wrestle with
the constraints of their social milieu, adding depth and nuance to the novel's
exploration of personal and societal freedom. E.M. Forster's "A Passage to India"
uses the Marabar Caves as a symbol of the unknowable and the inability for cultures
to truly understand one another. The caves create a sense of disorientation and
confusion for the characters, reflecting the larger theme of cultural misunderstanding
and miscommunication.
Henry James. Henry James also utilized private symbols in his work, often in the
form of physical objects or settings that carried deeper meaning. In "The Turn of the
Screw," the house and the ghosts can be seen as symbols of repressed desires and
the psychological turmoil of the main character. In "The Portrait of a Lady," the
enigmatic portrayal of Isabel Archer's hat becomes an emblem of her individuality,
her evolving sense of agency, and the confluence of her personal choices with the
societal expectations that surround her. This symbol not only reflects the
complexities of female identity and autonomy but also resonates with the broader
themes of self-discovery and the weight of societal conventions that pervade James's
literature.
So, the beauty of private symbols lies in their ability to beckon readers into a realm
of interpretive mystery. While these symbols are deeply entrenched within the
narratives and the psyche of the authors, they also invite readers to participate in the
act of decoding and unfurling the layers of meaning that enrich the texts. These
symbols, intrinsic to the artistry and vision of modernist authors, evoke a sense of
intimacy and individuality, offering readers the opportunity to engage with the
complexities of human experience in all its enigmatic splendor. By peering into these
private symbols, readers are immersed into a world of subjective significance,
inviting a deeper contemplation of the human condition and the intricate web of
emotions, desires, and aspirations that define our existence.