Symbols and Symbolism in Death in Venice Essay -- Death Venice Essays

Subtle Symbolism in Death in Venice    The dominant theme in Death in Venice is, obviously, death. This theme is exploited through the use of irony, imagery, and symbolism. The theme is most effectively explored by means of symbolism. Mann's symbolism is not as straight-forward as most authors, however, and the reader is forced to dig deep in order to determine the true meaning of any given passage. This pseudo-hidden symbolism forces the reader to be acutely aware of its presence from page one, or else the point may be missed altogether. During the opening of the novel, the reader is confronted with an exotic stranger, Aschenbach, who is the first of many "tokens" of death. This symbol is suggested in the description of the stranger: His chin was up, so that the Adam's apple looked very bald in the lean neck rising from the loose shirt; and he stood there sharply peering up into space out of colourless, red-lashed eyes.... At any rate, standing there as though at survey, the man had a bold and domineering, even a ruthless air, and his lips completed the picture by seeming to curl back, either by reason of some deformity or else because he grimaced, being blinded by the sun in his face; they laid bare the long, white, glistening teeth to the gums. This passage almost implies that the man is a skeleton, or at least that he is ghostly, with the bared teeth of a skull. The reader knows nothing about the stranger, is soon disappointed to learn nothing of him, and yet the stranger has already served his purpose: he is the first envoy of death in the novel. Also, the fact that the scene occurs in the vicinity of a cemetery is no coincidence. Later on, when Aschenbach arrives in Venice, Mann introduces symbolism to... ... (Mann, too, conducted all his literary work during first light). The determination to sustain and survive existed in the spirit of both artists. Yet "Death in Venice" is by no certain means a narrowly autobiographical narrative. Nevertheless, much that is the artist Aschenbach is part of the artist Mann, and thus can be interpreted as a faint symbol of Mann. Perhaps Aschenbach is an extreme example of the imperfections Mann combated during his own lifetime; if this indeed is the case, then Aschenbach is not only a token of the frailty of Mann, but an emblem of the fallacies plaguing us all. Works Cited and Consulted: Albert, George. Symbolism in Death in Venice. Notre Dame Press, Indiana. 1995 Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice and Other Stories. New York: Random House, Inc., 1989. Wagner, Rich. The Autobiographical Tragedy. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. Symbols and Symbolism in Death in Venice Essay -- Death Venice Essays Subtle Symbolism in Death in Venice    The dominant theme in Death in Venice is, obviously, death. This theme is exploited through the use of irony, imagery, and symbolism. The theme is most effectively explored by means of symbolism. Mann's symbolism is not as straight-forward as most authors, however, and the reader is forced to dig deep in order to determine the true meaning of any given passage. This pseudo-hidden symbolism forces the reader to be acutely aware of its presence from page one, or else the point may be missed altogether. During the opening of the novel, the reader is confronted with an exotic stranger, Aschenbach, who is the first of many "tokens" of death. This symbol is suggested in the description of the stranger: His chin was up, so that the Adam's apple looked very bald in the lean neck rising from the loose shirt; and he stood there sharply peering up into space out of colourless, red-lashed eyes.... At any rate, standing there as though at survey, the man had a bold and domineering, even a ruthless air, and his lips completed the picture by seeming to curl back, either by reason of some deformity or else because he grimaced, being blinded by the sun in his face; they laid bare the long, white, glistening teeth to the gums. This passage almost implies that the man is a skeleton, or at least that he is ghostly, with the bared teeth of a skull. The reader knows nothing about the stranger, is soon disappointed to learn nothing of him, and yet the stranger has already served his purpose: he is the first envoy of death in the novel. Also, the fact that the scene occurs in the vicinity of a cemetery is no coincidence. Later on, when Aschenbach arrives in Venice, Mann introduces symbolism to... ... (Mann, too, conducted all his literary work during first light). The determination to sustain and survive existed in the spirit of both artists. Yet "Death in Venice" is by no certain means a narrowly autobiographical narrative. Nevertheless, much that is the artist Aschenbach is part of the artist Mann, and thus can be interpreted as a faint symbol of Mann. Perhaps Aschenbach is an extreme example of the imperfections Mann combated during his own lifetime; if this indeed is the case, then Aschenbach is not only a token of the frailty of Mann, but an emblem of the fallacies plaguing us all. Works Cited and Consulted: Albert, George. Symbolism in Death in Venice. Notre Dame Press, Indiana. 1995 Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice and Other Stories. New York: Random House, Inc., 1989. Wagner, Rich. The Autobiographical Tragedy. New York: Vintage Books, 1992.

To what extent is society to blame for the mental decline of Nicole Dive in Tender is the Night and Esther Greenwood in The Bell Jar

The mental decline of the two protagonists is apparent within both ‘Tender is the Night' and ‘The Bell Jar' whereby Scott Fitzgerald and Sylvia Plath respectively explore the stifling nature of society and the effect this has on an individual's mental health. An ingrained expectation of culture places certain constraints, most pertinently on the female role, as both authors openly explore the issues faced by those with a basic inability to cope with such pressures; ultimately leading to their mental downfall. Neither Nicole nor Esther fit the social order required of them causing others to label them as insane, but it is the negative influence of society upon them which is the overwhelming cause. Within ‘TisN' the reader witnesses Nicole Diver's fundamental need for a male presence in which contrasts with the strong feminist beliefs of Esther Greenwood. Both novels clearly demonstrate how the masculine world dictates that women are to be regarded as possessions and constantly manipulated by a male counterpart – be it their father or husband. The lack of a father in Nicole's life allowed Dick Diver to become both a replacement father figure and husband giving him escalated dominance which ultimately caused the pressure on Nicole as an individual to increase significantly. Nicole's world had shattered, ‘but it was only a flimsy and scarcely created world' due to the incestuous relationship she was a part of. These flaws in Nicole's upbringing resulted in her inability to create a life for herself as the past still troubled her. Nicole and Esther mutually place men on a pedestal not only due to their reliance on them but also the ideals society forces upon them in regards to male superiority; until they realise that not only can Dick and Buddy not live up to these expectations, but also that they are unrealistic for the society that they live in. Living in a patriarchal society makes Nicole dependent on a controlling figure to make ethical judgements for her. She waits for ‘Dick to make a moral comment', rather than continuing to develop the individuality she was free to express in her private letters to Dick when explaining the mental health problems she was experiencing at that time. Similarly, when Buddy, who has never skied himself, ‘instructs' Esther in the sport, she mindlessly obeys. ‘TisN' Book 1 shows a complete contrast as Nicole is described as ‘happy to exist in a man's world' referring to her allowing a husband or lover to take charge, portrayed with both Dick and Tommy. Nicole is trapped in her feminine role in the 1930s as, although she feels that Tommy ‘opens up whole new worlds for her', he is simply a new domineering character in her life who ‘waited five years' for her marriage to be over. Contrastingly, Esther is able to find power on the slopes which then allows her to see through the hypocrisy of society in making men appear to be the superior gender; mirroring the counter culture revolution emerging in America at the time. This also challenges the mentality of women regarding sexual equality and control as Esther's disgust mounts over Buddy ‘having an affair with that tarty waitress' while continuing to expect a virgin bride. The limited sexual choices available to Esther cause her to view the world as ‘divided into people who had slept with somebody and people who hadn't', thus making us aware of the importance of sex significantly a lack of for women, within this community. Nicole also has a breakthrough in exerting her independence and forcing Dick to take responsibility, when she realises that he ‘is a coward! who tries to blame his failures on her. This disappointment in realising that Dick is not what she had anticipated allows Nicole to see past the disillusionment. This independence is strengthened as the book ends from Nicole's viewpoint as Dick ‘became a dot' in her life. This allows her to become a dominant character which was a great accomplishment before the feminis t movements of the 1960s. Society isn't the only trigger however and the disillusionment of the protagonists is an underlying cause of their mental decline. Nicole uses her relationship with Dick as an escape from her illness but when family life becomes mundane it resurfaces. She consciously uses her marriage to evade problems however she was soon proven wrong as her marriage only instigated more demands on her character due to the expectations of a wife, apparent not only in terms of the society the book was set in, but also that of the writers' reality. Scott Fitzgerald according to Horace Gregory of the New York Herald Tribune, was said to be ‘sharing the failure of his protagonists' as the life of Nicole closely mirrored that of his wife Zelda. This allowed him to use his experiences regarding the effect of society's pressures, and reflect them in Nicole Diver's life. Her dreams of love and accomplishment are quickly distorted by the possession of property which causes emptiness in her life of important things – despite many viewing her life as perfect. Similarly, Esther primarily idolises Buddy as superficially he appears to be perfect: a handsome Yale student with an interest in her despite being older, though soon she finds that ‘he had fooled [her] all these years' with hypocritical actions that society had allowed. 930's American Society had one expectation of women – to marry and have children. Nicole initially gives the impression that she has easily fallen into this position however the role is forced upon her as she struggles to establish autonomy. Despite having few choices Nicole subtly asserts her freedom through finances. Money and materialism are not instinctive to man but imposed by societ y for comfort and this shows itself through Nicole's extravagant shopping sprees when she is able to find comfort in her materialistic ways, demonstrating the excessiveness of the Jazz Age. Nicole buys enough to fill ‘a great list that ran two pages' in an attempt to ‘buy herself happy' since she had few other options, unlike Esther who's ripening choices are presented on the Fig Tree. Yet she finds herself unable to make a decision as she felt that ‘choosing one meant losing all the rest' suppressing her choices due to the stark contrasts between the writer she wants to become and the house-wife she is pushed towards; unlike the male characters around her who can have everything. The American Dream runs parallel throughout the two novels as the ideology forms the national ethos and both writers attack the fundamental values it teaches. The disappointment is too much for the female protagonists to cope with as reality fails to live up to the grand promise such principles make. Wealth forms an integral part of this philosophy as many believe that materialistic items bring about happiness. Early on, Esther's life seems perfect despite being ‘so poor she can't afford a magazine' as she manages to earn a scholarship to college; embodying the main principles of the ethos, though this soon crumbles as the pressure to succeed becomes too great. The demands on Nicole's character similarly build up as she is pushed into becoming wife and mother, while keeping to the traditions of the Warren family. From afar, Nicole appears to have the perfect life, the grand-daughter of a horse trader with ‘white crooks eyes', nevertheless all the riches of the world could not stop her breakdowns. It is apparent that Nicole wants nothing more than to lead a happy life with her family, however being part of the idle American expatriate community, a worldly attitude towards life easily takes over since Nicole has ‘too much money'. This money-orientated outlook on life even goes as far as to drive her to use money as an advantage in her relationship with Dick even though ‘he did not want to be owned', showing that despite the facade of having everything, she was neither happy nor would she ever be under such pretences. Equally Esther's inability to earn her desired place at university is an example of Sylvia Plath attacking the philosophy which gives false hopes to many – especially the youth. These values also feature in Esther's move to New York as despite any outsider believing she was ‘having the time of her life' the truth of the situation couldn't differ more. She ‘was supposed to be the envy of thousands of college girls' however she found the materialistic flaws in society too much to deal with and conventional expectations to be cold after such anticipation. Nicole's anticipation for love and accomplishment mirrors this. In conclusion, society is seen to be the contributing factor towards both Nicole and Esther's mental declines as they both strive to accomplish all that they can. It is once reaching these aims that they realise its irrelevance and it is this disappointment which ultimately becomes too much for each protagonist to deal with. The illusions of society are difficult for these individuals to decipher, and they are both respectively tangled in its complexities.

The War Of The American Civil War - 913 Words

Historians have disputed over the vast majority of causes of the American Civil War for ages. While some explanations may appear easier to pinpoint, the primary underlying catalyst to the start of the war was the controversy over slavery. Though the northern and southern regions of the United States fostered contrasting views on a range of issues, they shared the common perspective of promoting Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the prevalent attitude that induced Americans to expand from coast to coast. This inclination sparked western expansion which prompted many internal conflicts. Though neither the north nor the south claimed slavery was the motive for the Civil War, this peculiar institution was the primary root of the nation’s eruption. The controversy for slavery’s existence in the new western territories varied among the north and the south. Both of the regions were motivated politically and economically to either eliminate or expand slavery in the western territories. Each of the northern states shared the uniform objective of stabilizing the union which consisted of 11 free states in 1850. Since the north became much more industrialized, slaves were no longer imperative to northern economic prosperity. However, the southern economy still heavily relied on slave labor. The northern states were exceptionally threatened by slave labor because it could potentially monopolize employment in the new western states. On the contrary, southern states supported theShow MoreRelatedAmerican War And The American Civil War1551 Words   |  7 Pageswhich then caused the Southern states of America to decide to leave the American Union and create their own Southern Confederacy. This tore our nation apart. The American Civil War had begun and the very people that were once neighbors had each other’s blood on their hands. Many American lives had been lost. The American lives lost in the Civil War even exceeded the number of American lives lost during World War I and World War II. We were divided. The North wanted to reunite with the southern statesRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1376 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Civil War was arguably the most important war in the history of the country. The War of Independence may have allowed American to become its’ own country, but the Civil War resulted in something even more important than that, the end of slavery in the southern states. All of the issues that caused the Civil war were based around slavery, such as states’ rights that involved how slavery would be handled in each state, and trying to preserve the Union since the south seceded from the northRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War856 Words   |  4 PagesSlavery may have been established as the catalyst of the American Civil War, but the beginning of the dispute began in the time of the Revolution with a weak decentralized government under the Articles of Confederation. Later gained m omentum as territorial expansion set Americans against each other on debating whether the new states should be slave states or free states, it questioned the power of the Federal government regarding state rights, and brought about instability in the unity of the UnitedRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1618 Words   |  7 Pages A Civil War is a battle between the same citizens in a country. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the independence for the Confederacy or the survival of the Union. By the time Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1861, in the mist of 34 states, the constant disagreement caused seven Southern slave states to their independence from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy, generally known as the South, grew to include elevenRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War991 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Civil War is known to most as the bloodiest war anyone has ever witnessed . It claimed the life of thousands of Americans and animosity that was built up over several years prior to it can be to blame. Most people think that slavery was the cause of this battle, and although slavery did play a part, it was not the main cause. The biggest roles played in the American Civil War were states’ rights, unfair bills, feelings of inferiority and threats to economy. The tension started duringRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1324 Words   |  6 PagesThere were many events that led to the cause of one of America’s most devastating war, the American Civil War. The American Civil War was an unfortunate war that cost more than the lives of six hundred thousand people. Events such as the Missouri Compromise, Kansas Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Decision, and the Election of Abraham Lincoln resulted in the four yearlong battles between the Northern and Southern states due to social and economic differences on the idea of slavery. In the 19th century,Read MoreThe War Of The American Civil War Essay1472 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Civil War lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865. It was the bloodiest war in American history, killing approximately 620,000 soldiers in total. The War was fought and won by the North, ensuring that all the United States would stay united and slavery would be illegal in The United States. However, history is one of the most complicated things in the world. It’s also one of the most important things in the world because history is what made the present possible. Historians have debatedRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War960 Words   |  4 Pagesslavery even if it meant war caused peace in this nation. Slavery was the vital cause of the American Civil War. The north and the south both had their differences on how to run the country. People in the North believed in unity and that slavery should not exist because â€Å"all men are created equally.† On the o ther hand, the South believed in continuing slavery. People tried to talk it out and come to a middle ground after both sides compromising, however that didn’t work and caused war. Ideological differencesRead MoreThe Civil War And The American War1318 Words   |  6 PagesThe question of what caused the Civil War is debatable because there are several events that may have influenced the war such as the Western Expansion, Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War. The war also stems from slavery, the North and South basically fought over whether or not slavery should be permitted. Another point that may have influenced the Civil War is the economic and social structure of the country, which also falls under slavery because the South main source of income was slaveryRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1439 Words   |  6 PagesWhen the American Civil War began in the spring of 1861, those flocking to enlistment stations in states both north and south chiefly defined their cause as one of preservation. From Maine to Minnesota, young men joined up to preserve the Union. From Virginia to Texas, their future foes on the battlefield enlisted to preserve a social order, a social order at its core built on the institution of slavery and racial superiority . Secession had not been framed by prominent Southerners like Robert Toombs