Symbols in Raisin the Sun, the Necklace and Tell-Tale Heart Essays

Symbols in Raisin the Sun, the Necklace and Tell-Tale Heart Essays Symbols in Raisin the Sun, the Necklace and Tell-Tale Heart Paper Symbols in Raisin the Sun, the Necklace and Tell-Tale Heart Paper Essay Topic: A Raisin in the Sun Symbols In The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant, Loisel is a character who is middle class and has an obsession over jewelry. She also seems to have a fantasy about living a life of extreme riches, high class, and a fancy lifestyle. One element Guy de Maupassant uses, as a symbol is the necklace itself. The necklace portrays the concept of false values and false appearances. The necklace symbolizes beauty but is false. When Loisel wore it to a party, it gave her a sense of extreme beauty and wealth. When Loisel lost the necklace, she lost her beauty and her â€Å"great† wealth but both were false nonetheless. The fact that it was a jewel, it allows Loisel to live in a fantasy that she thought was actually real. Not only was the jewel fake, but her socio-economic status was also pretentious. In the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, Poe uses the heart as a symbol. Towards the end, the sound of the heartbeat drives the narrator insane and full of guilt. Almost as if the heart is somehow telling the tale of what just occurred, reminding the narrator of what he has done, causing him despair. The heart symbolizes guilt and self-conscious in which is strong enough to make the narrator give in and confess that he committed the murder. Although the heart does not physically speak, it has â€Å"spoken† aloud, as if mentioning what the narrator performed, even though the narrator confessed for himself. Symbols are used in order to represent greater abstract meanings and imagery within a work of literature. By using symbols, an author can continue to describe what is occurring in the story without disrupting the flow of his or her work by â€Å"pausing† to explain the actual concept he or she is trying to depict. Instead, authors use representation that allows the reader to decipher the icons and understand for him or herself, what is occurring within the work of literature. Join Now For Free