The subject of this diploma is imagery and its use in literature, in William Saroyans short stories.

It consists of two chapters, each of which starts with William Saroyans sayings. The purpose of this is to create the atmosphere of Saroyan in the work under discussion. The 1st chapter deals with imagery and its use in literature. Imagery is the use of a concrete object to represent an abstract idea. The term image, when used in literature is often a figure of speech in which a person, object, or situation represent something in addition to its literal meaning. Conventional or traditional literary symbols work in much the same way, and because they have a previously agreed upon meaning, they can be used to suggest ideas more universal than the physical aspect itself. A symbol may appear in a work of literature in a number of different ways to suggest a number of different things. Most commonly, a symbol will present itself in the form of 1) a word, 2)a figure of speech 3) an event, 4) the total action, 5) a character. Imagery refers to the "pictures" which we perceive with our mind's eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and through which we experience the "duplicate world" created by poetic language. Imagery evokes the meaning and truth of human experiences not in abstract terms, as in philosophy, but in more perceptible and tangible forms. Although most of the image-making words in any language appeal to sight (visual images), there are also images of touch (tactile), sound (auditory), taste (gustatory), and smell (olfactory). Literary imagery comes to help when words have no more power to express what is invisible to the readers eyes. It is the tool that takes a notion or subject or phenomena and turns it into something else in the readers mind that is invisible for his eyes. A good poet does not use imagery, that is, images in general, merely to decorate a poem. He does not ask Himself, "How can I dress up my subject so that it will seem fancier than it is?" Rather, he asks himself, "How can I make my subject appear to the reader exactly as it appears to me?" Imagery helps him solve his problem, for it enables him to present his subject as it is: as it looks, smell tastes, feels and sounds. To the reader imagery is equally important: it provides his imagination with something palpable to seize upon.

According to etymology, symbol literally means something that has been put together. The source of the word is the Greek word sumballein, that refers to the idea of putting things together to contrast them and ultimately became a word that was used for compare. From the word symbol came the concept of symbolism where one object is used to refer to something else. So, when an author or a poet uses one object to refer to a completely different idea, then he or she is employing symbolism in literature. So why do writers use symbols in literature? What is the importance of symbolism in literature? Symbolism is used in literature to give to the literary work meaning that goes beyond what is evident to the reader. Symbolism in literature helps in giving the piece of writing feeling and mood without the writer having to actually spell out the same. By giving certain things human like characteristics and also defining them with certain qualities, the writer can manage to give the novel another level that may refer to things that are completely alien from what is mentioned in the piece of writing. The second chapter deals with imagery in William Saroyans short stories. The skill of William Saroyan, American short-story writer, dramatist, and novelist, in evoking mood and atmosphere was noteworthy, and his imaginary world, peopled with common men, was warm and compelling. Saroyan writes humanely and powerfully, with restless enthusiasm. His major themes are aspiration, hope and honesty; materialism and success mean nothing. His works show the basic goodness of all people, especially the obscure and naive and the value of life. He once observed that he needed to write, "Because I hate to believe that I'm sick or half dead, because I want to get better; because writing is my therapy." In the last book published during his lifetime, Obituaries, he wrote: "My work is writing, but my real work is being." Saroyan spoke for Armenians to the world. He gave international recognition to his people at a time when they remained dispersed and continued to meet with prejudice and outright hatred. Through his work, he brought more public understanding to the culture and the quality of the Armenian people, than any other person in Armenian history. By international standards, Saroyan is the most famous literary figure produced by his ancient people. Saroyan was an Armenian-American writer. He loved America but couldnt forget Armenia, Armenians. Armenian symbols have found place in many of Saroyans works.

Though in his most celebrated work of short fiction My name is Aram, Saroyan represents the American dream, but he does it solely through Armenian symbols, such as the pomegranate, the horse, etc. This American dream is not the same as we understand it nowadays, but rather it is a dream to create a little piece of motherland thousands of kilometers away from it, and in this way to restore a little part of immigrants Armenian soul, that would be lost without these symbols. Armenian symbols have found place also in many of Saroyans other works, such as:

The Pomegranate Trees: The central theme of this story, the pomegranate, is one of the strongest symbols of Armenian culture. In Armenian mythology the pomegranate symbolizes fertility and abundance. The fruit is the Armenian symbol of life and tradition tells us that each mature pomegranate has 365 seeds, one for each day of the year.

The Oyster and the Pearl: In William Saroyan's play The Oyster and the Pearl there is a lot of symbolism. The theme of the play is to take it easy and relax and life will be much happier. Harry Van Dusen is a barber that has a philosophy of "Take it easy." He tries to spread his philosophy by talking to people when he is cutting their hair. It was almost as if the haircuts were just a way of getting people in the barbershop to talk. The hats that Harry wore symbolized the attitude that he was in. The sea symbolizes life. The name of the small town that the story takes place in is called O.K.-by-the-Sea. That name symbolizes that life isn't perfect but by taking it easy it can be more fun.

Piano. As in most of his stories, William Saroyan presents, in Piano, a casual episode of the common life. The narrative, descriptive and dialogical sequences form together a perfect technique of rendering the content in a captivating way. The work of non-fiction is characterized by the presence of a covert narrator, who keeps to a more or less neutral voice and a fixed focalization. Thus, the third-person narrative creates the impression of objectivity in an attempt of seeming more trustworthy for the readers. Literature is full of imagery, and this becomes more obvious when concerning William Saroyan and his works. However, what makes him outstanding among other outstanding writers is that to

my mind, in comparison with others, Saroyan does not do it on purpose. It happens so, as it has to happen so, as it is his world, full of imagery and imagination.