Color Symbolism in Short Stories and Poems
Autor: simba • December 1, 2012 • Essay • 626 Words (3 Pages) • 4,173 Views
Both the short story "Clothes" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and the poem "Oranges" by Gary Soto use the literary strategy of color symbolism. The poem and short story are similar in that they both use color to represent emotion and transitions involving maturity. However they are different in that the authors choose to use it in different ways and to achieve different goals.
In "Clothes" the author uses color symbolism and analogy to express the emotional changes that the main character is going through and to anchor her to her Indian beliefs during her transition from girl to women. The author gives many examples of color that represent established Indian beliefs. For example,the girl describes her bride-viewing sari as follows: "Its body was a pale pink, like the dawn sky over the women's lake. The color of transition." She talks about her preference for a certain color
of sari for her flight to America; "I wanted a blue one for the journey, because blue is the color of possibility". She also uses color as an anchor to her previous life; for example, "I love the color, the same pale blue as the nayantara flowers that grow in my parent's garden." In this quote she is talking about her new jeans but at the same time alluding to something back in India
and anchoring herself with this thought. Finally, she begins to
develop her own color connections when she decides to stay in
America after her husband dies. She wants to forge a new life for
herself. This is shown when she says; "She wears a blouse and
skirt the color of almonds the color of the earth and seeds." This
connection may represent new growth and new beginnings.
These examples along with others in the story support the idea
that color represents the main character's attempt to find a
sense of security in a time of great personal change.
In contrast, "Oranges" by Gary Soto uses color symbolism to
illustrate the main character's emotions. In the poem he uses
light and fire and bright colors such as orange, yellow and red.
The color orange symbolizes the main character's excitement
about taking out the girl, the possibility for bright and joyful
beginnings. Her "rouge cheeks" indicate that she is the focus of
his
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