Imagery and Symbolism in Surfacing by Margaret Atwood - Essay Example

Imagery and Symbolism Introduction Most use imagery to explain or describe sensitive experiences in their text. For instance, there are two major types of imagery. These include visual imagery, which pertains to sight, allowing the reader clearly see the events and places in the entire text, and auditory imagery, which pertains sound in the form of onomatopoeia and uses languages like sounds of bells chimed and crows. Other forms of imageries include olfactory imagery, gustatory imagery, tactile imagery, kinesthetic imagery, and organic imagery. Symbolism on the other side is the interpretation form of an object or ritual used in writing, customs, and arts. Authors use symbolism because of their hidden and deeper meanings. In reference to the aforementioned, this paper will give a detailed analysis of how Margaret Atwood makes use of Imagery and Symbolism in her book, “Surfacing” to succeed in creating a desired image in the mind of the readers. Types of Imagery and Symbolism use in the book American Expansion Atwood uses American images showing how Americans were invading and ruining Canada. The Americans put missile silos, filled the villages with tourist cabins, and left trashes everywhere. Atwood describes the growth and expansion of American as the cause of cultural infiltration. The narrator of the story calls Americans having a brain disease, relating their identity with behavior disregard rather than of nationalism. According to Atwood, an American is someone who involves himself in unnecessary violence, likes technology, and misuses resources. David argues that he hates Americans, but he likes baseball and he tends to imitate Woody Woodpecker, a funny human like cartoon character. Atwood further describes American expansion as psychologically corrupt and destructive. On the contrary, she believes she should have acted as one. In page 24, she says, “….I see I’ve made a mistake, I should have pretended to be an American” The power The narrator keeps on mentioning power several times in his story showing that he is actively in such of it. In the fourth chapter, Atwood remembers her thoughts that a certain plant seeds would make her more powerful. In Chapter 19, the narrator also says that doctors pretend that children’s birth is because of their power and not the mothers’ ability. The authors asserts, “the power from my father’s intercession wasn’t enough to protect me, it gave only knowledge….”(Atwood 168). This shows how the author presents men as more powerful In the fifteenth chapter, Atwood remembers herself pretending to be a powerful and helpless animal. She later puts much emphasizes on the quest of “the power”. She claims that, ever since her birth, she has been receiving isolations and emotional disturbance from the unfair religious and gender roles. She later gains her say by promising not to be powerless. She later comes to understand that, for one to be a good member of the society, one must learn on how to love and communicate. Symbolism The Barometer Atwood portrays barometer’s symbol through Paul’s wooden barometer. In page 40, she says, “…like the wooden man and woman in the barometer house at Paul’s”. Assessment of the barometer symbolizes her attitudes towards marriage. Atwood finally compares the barometer couples with Paul and Madame, which according to her means empty marriage. She notes that Paul and Madame seem wooden. The narrator even compares the image of barometer symbol with that of her parents sawing a portion of birch. The birch image is good because Atwood relates birches with the undestroyed nature. The image of the barometer also symbolizes unrealistic and unattainable type of romance, although her parents have true love. The Hanged Heron The use of Hanged Heron represents the America way of a destructive nature. The narrator keeps on thinking about the senselessness of her slaughter, knowing that it was hanged instead of being buried. Atwood uses the Heron’s death to define one as an American based on his own deeds. In page 144, she says, “…the death of heron was causeless, and undiluted…”. She complains that any action of violence is American-based. The bird was killed using a bullet and a nylon rope hanging it, which shows destruction of nature using technology. The hanged bird according to the narrator symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which shows the Christian ideology (Atwood, 50). The narrator uses this Christian idea to describe her religious nature. During the time of her madness, Atwood compares herself with the hanged heron, worrying that the search party will hang her. She further makes comparison between how men were taking control of their women and the hanged heron. Make up Anna’s style of makeup, which her husband claims she applies daily, represents women’s defeat. Atwood compares Anna with a doll once she has applied the makeup on her face because such an act makes her become more of her husband’s sexual plaything. The narrator also uses makeup to represent women deception. Anna uses makeup to increase her beauty, a behavior that represents the way she does things morally. This makeup is completely different from the narrator’s view of a natural woman. It is a complete contrast of what the narrator views to be beautiful. The narrator compares Ann to a natural woman, when she looks in the mirror and sees herself disheveled. Anna uses makeup to follow the ideals of a corrupt woman. The Ring Ring in the story symbolizes marriage. The narrator explains why she wears both her husband’s and boyfriend’s rings on her neck (Tandon and Chandra 76). The rings symbolize both marriage and its effects to many women. She says that her rings represent crucifix and military decoration. She says, “……they obviously think I am married. But I’m safe, I’m wearing my ring, I never throw it away, it’s safe for landladies (21)”. The crucifix demonstrates that marriage was not a sacrifice while the military decoration defines that marriage made women become war spoils. Atwood uses narrator’s ring to describe Joe’s demand of getting married as depicted in Chapter 1. There is use of several references of bottles, tin cans, and jars throughout the novel, which represents ways of containing life. “I put the worms in a can and some dirt for them” (63), this also symbolizes the narrator’s emotions towards life, which she has put in jars to prevent her from thinking about them. This is because she has suffered great effects from the abortion trauma. The narrator remembers a certain time when she was attending Sunday Schools to learn about Christianity. She remembers that she saw an image of Jesus Christ on a wall being tiredly looking which makes her believe that one must experience pain and a lot of suffering before receiving any revelations. The narrator also remembers how their neighbor disliked her family because they were not attending church services, a feeling that caused a lot of emotional pain in her. The use of rituals in this book is to help the narrator gain more power of surviving. The rituals of her father and mother to survive and the magic mushrooms support the narrator. The truth is that after looking in the depth of her soul, she surfaces to be a great person who can fight well enough for her survival. Her father died when he was taking pictures of antler fishes. This happened when he knocked his head against one of painting rocks, resulting to his immediate death. Further, the lake is another symbol used in ‘Surfacing’, with two different meanings. The two meanings are that of nausea and redemption. The protagonist throws himself in the lake waters. According to Atwood, the lake is the worst place and quite cold where many people perish. At some point she says, “…I warned them not to say anything about the fish: if they do, this part of the lake will be swamiing with Americans….(74)”. Besides water being used as a symbol of life, it is also associated with death. According to the narrator, the lake makes her remember two people who perished here. These two are her father, and her Festus (Tandon and Chandra 115). Another symbol emphasized in ‘Surfacing’ is that of the victim. This is seen when characterizing the post colonialist and feminist theories where the two are viewed as related. This is because the two concerns the voice, and position of Agnew in the society. Atwood also makes use of food as imagery. The terms food and eating are also viewed as political matters. Conclusion In conclusion, it is arguable that many literary writers employ imagery and symbolism in their narrative to make their message, ideas, and thoughts well understood. Some of the authors use imageries like paradox, metaphors, and similes while others use the comparison of living beings with an object. Other authors use imagery and symbolism to increase humor in their narratives. There are a number of reasons why authors use imagery and symbols in their work. Symbols and images are, therefore, noteworthy vehicles useful to writers in their attempt to communicate meaning. They are the words with which readers interpret meaning. Work cited Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. London: Bloomsbury, 2009. Print. Tandon, Neeru, and Anshul Chandra. Margaret Atwood: A Jewel in Canadian Writing. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2009. Print. Read More