Essay On Symbolism In The Yellow Wallpaper

Words: 538
Pages: 3

Symbolism
The two short stories “The Yellow Wallpaper “by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway, are both very strong in using symbolism throughout their plot. Symbolism is frequently used in stories to emphasize the meaning of an object, for that object to represent a total deeper meaning. Furthermore, both stories mainly use places, to enhance their themes. Although both stories use symbolism, their symbols are uniquely different, for the reader to have an idea of their current situations.
Both titles of the stories are an important key in symbolism. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the story describes a woman suffering from post-partum depression and having a serious breakdown. She never sees life outside the hideous yellow wallpaper. She is away from society and she feels trapped. In “Hills Like White Elephants” Hemingway uses the title to symbolize that Jig is pregnant. “Hills are like white elephants for Jig because they carry ambivalent evocations of the child within her--like a white elephant, an unwanted gift, a seemingly remote but immense problem”.
Furthermore, the scenery that is described in “Hills like White Elephants” symbolizes the life Jig is living and her choice.
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In order to enhance the theme and have us readers understand their current life situations, they emphasized scenery and places for us to interpret. Both authors used symbolism in their own unique way and that’s what shaped each short story. In conclusion, symbolism is used throughout both short stories, as for “The Yellow Wallpaper” it is stated to be a patterned of a trapped woman. In “Hills Like White Elephants” the scenery that is described, is the protagonist current life situation. Interpreting symbolism is a key to understanding a short