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Flight Flight John Steinbeck uses many models of symbolism to foreshadow the ending in the short story, Flight. It's used to represent or foreshadow the ending to story. Steinbeck uses colors, direction, and nature symbolism to help presage Pepe's tragic death at the end. In the next couple of paragraphs will explain more closely the way that Steinbeck uses colors to foreshadow the ending of the short story. The most repeated symbol in "Flight, " is the color black. There are numerous examples in this short story of how many authors use black to represent death.
Some of these include the black handle on the long blade, Pepe's black hair and the black jerky. Another example may be found when Pepe puts on his fathers black coat, it represents death. When Pepe puts on the coat he is literally covering himself with death. Another example is the trail in which Pepe travels. Steinbeck describes the path as a well-worn black path. By traveling on this path he is taking the road of death.
Furthermore Pepe's looks also helps foreshadow the ending. Steinbeck describes him as having a black hat that covers his black thatched hair. Pepe is also described as being dark, lean and tall. Another example is Pepe's shack.
The shack is described as weathered and very old. It casts a large shadow to the North east. The darkness of the shadow symbolizes death in the home. We can already tell that the authors' use of black symbolism in the story tells us that Pepe is going to die. Next, direction is the second commonly used symbol. Direction is used to represent positive or negative effects throughout the story.
North and East are generally "good" directions. This came about when the early man saw the sun rise in the East. Although the directions South and West are generally "bad" directions. Basically this is because the sun sets in the West. The direction up, which is also the way to heaven is generally "good, " while down, the direction of hell, is considered to be "bad. " An example of symbolism can be found when Pepe is returning home. Pepe looks at his "weathered little shack" and notices the shadow.
The shadow is heading in the direction North East. Even though the directions North and East are "good, " the fact that the shadow is there turns them "bad. " This means that evil is winning over good. So whichever direction Pepe turns to he will run into evil. Another fine example is when Pepe watches the sun set in the West. The sun, which is the bring of all life is moving towards evil.
That means it will be dark out and Pepe's death is soon to come. Steinbeck further uses this symbolism while describing the tops of the trees on the mountain. The tops of the trees were wind-bitten and dead. This symbolizes that the further Pepe travels up the mountain the closer he is to his inevitable death.
Like I said, direction is another very important aspect of symbolism. Direction is just another of the many ways John Steinbeck accomplishes his foreshadowing of the ending of his story. Throughout the story Steinbeck emphasizes nature symbolism. Nature symbolism includes a variety of things.
Steinbeck illustrates the trail as a well-worn black path. By traveling on this pathway he is in fact taking the road of loss. Furthermore Pepe's appearance also helps prefigure the ending. Steinbeck describes him as having a black hat that covers his dark thatched hair.
Pepe is also described as being dark, lean and tall. Another example is Pepe's hut. The shack is described as weathered and very old. It casts a rather large shade to the North east. The darkness of the shadow symbolizes death in the house.
As we can readily see, the authors use of black symbolism in the story tells us that the main character of the novel is impending death. Another commonly used symbol in the tale "Flight, " is direction. Direction is used to symbolize optimistic or negative effects. North and East are generally "good" directions. Many can feel this came about when the early man saw the sun rise in the East. On the contrary, the directions West and South are in general "bad" directions.
Basically this is because of the sun sets in the West. Besides compass directions, height is also a very well-liked way of foreshadowing the ending of the story. The direction up, which is also the way to heaven is usually "good, " while down, the direction of hell, is considered to be "bad. " An illustration of this form of symbolism can be found when Pepe is returning domicile. Pepe looks at his "weathered little shack" and notices the shadow. The shade is heading in the direction North East. Even though the directions East and North are "good, " the fact that the shadow is there turns them "not good. " This means that evil is winning over honesty.
So, whichever direction Pepe turns to he will fall into wickedness. Another fine illustration is when Pepe watches the sun set in the West. The sun, which is the bringer of all life is moving to the evil. That means it will be shady out and Pepe's death is soon to come. One very popular symbol is water. Because we as humans require water in order to live water represents life.
An example of this in the story "Flight" would be Pepe's water bag that he hung over his horse's shoulder. The water leaked onto the horse's shoulder. This meant Pepe's life was actually leaking away. It just so happened that when the horse was shot it was in the same shoulder.
The most obvious example of nature symbolism would be when Pepe is traveling up the mountain. When he first starts out he is traveling very close to the river. As he continues with his journey, the path in which he travels has the tendency to turn more and more away from the river. In reality this means Pepe is moving further away from life and closer to his death.
As we can clearly see, John Steinbeck has used many techniques and examples of symbolism to help portray the ending of the short story, "Flight. " Some of these examples include colors, direction, and nature. The color black, which is the universal symbol of death, is used to help foreshadow Pepe's death. Direction is used frequently in the story to symbolize the direction that Pepe is heading if he is heading towards good or evil. Nature, especially water is another form of symbolism that Steinbeck used.
Water equals life. Therefore when Pepe moves further and further away from the river, he is actually moving closer to his death. Thus, it is obvious that Pepe was destined to die right from the beginning of the story. Bibliography: Astro, Richard.
John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts: The Shaping of a Novelist. Minneapolis: U. of Minnesota P. , 1973. Bluefarb, Sam. "The Jobs: Flight into the Social Soul. " The Escape Motif in the American Novel: Mark Twain to Richard Wright. Ohio State U.
P. , 1972 Course, Donald V. John Steinbeck as Propagandist: The Moon Is Down Goes to War. Tuscaloosa: U. of Alabama P. , 1991. John Steinbeck's "Flight": A Study Guide from Gale's "Short Stories for Students" The Gale Group; ISBN: B 00006 G 3 PK; (July 23, 2002)
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