Paper 2: Symbolism

2004M
Compareandcontrasttheroleofsymbolismintwoorthreeplaysyouhavestudied.
Longafterthewordsareforgotten,thespectacleofthedramaisremembered.
Comparetwoorthreeplaysyouhavestudiedinthelightofthisquotation.
Note that the first question above might tempt students into listing the symbols
in each play. Thats not terrible, and it is of course important to know the
symbols and where they appear, but youre actually being asked to write about
the role of symbolism - that is, the way in which writers use symbolism and the
reasons for using it.

First, be aware that some plays lend themselves to the use of symbolism more
than others. Williams (I have a poets weakness for symbolism) has created an
impressionistic diegesis which does not need to abide by everyday, quotidian
rules - as such, he has more leeway to invest objects, words, actions and so on
with layers of meaning; that is, to give them symbolic weight or value. ONeill, on
the other hand, is more concerned with achieving verisimilitude, so the use of
symbolism is less obvious in his play. Finally, Antigone, as the most primitive and
straightforward play of the three, has fairly rudimentary (albeit very powerful
and elemental, even archetypal) symbolism.

But, just to get started, here is the aforementioned list of a lot (not all) of the
symbols you might want to be aware of, courtesy of schmoop.com.

Long Days Journey:

Fog
Fog can represent a number of different things (estrangement, retreating into
one's self, blindness) in Long Day's Journey, but generally, for all of the
characters, fog is dark, isolating, and unstoppable. Both Edmund and Mary
attempt at various moments to escape or transcend reality, and both use fog as
a metaphor or mechanism for doing so.

It's interesting to note that the fog itself isn't enough to generate a mind-altering
experience. Edmund experiences his retreat into the fog with the help of alcohol,
while Mary relies on morphine. These effects are also by no means limited to
Mary and Edmund. James and Jamie may not reference fog explicitly;
nonetheless, they both feel as though they've "drowned long ago," and both hide
from the world using alcohol. References to alcohol, morphine, and fog all
intensify as the play races towards its conclusion.

What, then, of the foghorns and the yacht bells, which periodically cut through
the fog? It's Mary who points out that she hates the foghorn: "It won't let you
alone. It keeps reminding you, and warning you, and calling you back" (3.1.9). To
pursue our analogy of fog and addiction further, the sounds of the harbor act as
periodic intrusions of reality into each character's fantasy life. Addiction isn't
enough to hold reality at bay forever; there are always the other Tyrones
hovering around, ready to chime in and remind each other of their many, many
failings.
Dark/ Light
Wedding dress/ Booths praise
Both of the Tyrone parents have a carefully hidden object that they used to look
at every once in a while to remind themselves about what they've lost. Mary's
wedding dress brings to mind her happiness with her father, innocence, youth,
beauty what you will. James keeps a piece of paper printed with praise from
famous actor Edwin Booth of James's performance of Othello.

The dress and the paper each stand in for a history that's dead to the Tyrones,
leading to the loss of the objects themselves. The wedding dress, however, is
recovered in the final scene, as Mary regresses back to childhood crazily and
artificially, but still, she does seem to recover her lost history, for a time.
Car
The family car makes for an interesting symbol because it is intended to mean
one thing but works out to mean another: James buys the thing as proof of how
much he cares for Mary. He also wants to show the whole neighborhood that,
while he is frugal, he has good taste and knows how to spend. Unfortunately, the
car he buys is a lemon that James picked up used. Mary just sees it as a symbol
of her husband's thoughtlessness, long absences, and miserly ways.
Alcohol / drugs
Alcohol and morphine function (as drugs often do in literature) as symbols of
retreat. Basically, no one in the family has anywhere to go literally or
metaphorically so they have two options: fight or flight. They fight often
(especially the male characters), but they also spend a whole lot of time fleeing,

turning to drugs and alcohol to hide from reality. We talk about Mary's particular
dependence on morphine in her "Character Analysis," so let's get specific with
what the Tyrone men are up to.

The Tyrones don't just drink any alcohol; they drink bonded bourbon. Bonded
means the bourbon is really good (aged four years and distilled by one brewer
for a season at a distillery) and, thus, more expensive. This is some seriously
high quality bourbon, and it's another hint along with all those real estate deals
that James is willing to spend extra money, so long as he is the primary
beneficiary. It's also a social class symbol poor people don't drink bonded
bourbon.

Bourbon is also an important choice because bourbon is basically the American

alcohol. This stuff is classic Americana, a whiskey made from corn and named
after the county in Kentucky where it was invented.

So here's our question: why Jim Beam instead of Jameson's? Let's not forget that
James is all about Irish patriotism, yet he doesn't drink Irish whiskey. While there
may be a significant difference in flavor between bourbon and Irish whiskey,
Ireland obviously has its own illustrious history of whiskey brewing. We don't
want to push this too hard, because there may be issues of price and availability,
but with all of his posturing about his roots and his defense of all things Irish, it's
surprising that James only ever drinks the American stuff.

Does this have any symbolic meaning? Looks like it to us. James has "made it,"
has assimilated successfully into American culture. He's a representative of the
American dream, and, just as he's ditched his childhood of impoverishment and
labor, he's ditched the liquid representative of his abandoned culture Irish
whiskey.
Day / Night
The cyclical movement of time, as represented by the progress of day to night, is
one of the central symbols of Long Day's Journey. The Tyrone family is caught in a
similar cycle. They attack each other, they feel bad, they apologize, they say
something mean, they feel bad, they apologizeit's the family feud that never
ends. The whole play is built around these cycles.

Think also about the nature of addiction, and of Mary's morphine addiction in
particular. Abuse, regret, back on the wagon, fall off the wagon, abuse, regret
The play might draw to a close, but we have a feeling the cycles are never-

ending. We talk about all this in greater detail in "What's Up with the Title?"
Check it out.

A Streetcar Named Desire

Lights and lanterns

Blanche makes a big deal out of never being seen in direct light. She uses a
paper lantern like a shield to block out the strong light of the naked bulb in the
Kowalski apartment. The obvious conclusion is that shes getting older and
doesnt want anyone particularly Mitch to see that shes no longer a girl of
sixteen. Actually, Mitch says it best: "I dont think I ever seen you in the light.
Thats a fact! [..] You never want to go out in the afternoon. [] You never want
to go out till after six and then its always some place thats not lighted much.
[] What it means is Ive never had a real good look at you" (9.28-36).

Of course, if you want to get fancy, you might argue that Blanche is hiding more
than just the fine lines around her mouth. We know that shes ashamed of her
behavior in Laurel and desperate to hide her past from Mitch. Is it possible that
shes manifesting this desire to hide in a physical way? Probably.

We get another layer of meaning to this lights business when Blanche discusses
her former husband, Allan. She describes falling in love as though "you suddenly
turned a blinding light on something that had always been half in shadow, thats
how it struck the world for me" (6.120). When she caught him with another man,
later confronted him, and discovered his suicide, she claims that "the searchlight
which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one
moment since has there been any light thats stronger than this kitchen
candle" (6.120).

In short, what shes saying is that being in love illuminated the world for her.
When her husband died, the world was in darkness again. What does this have to
do with the paper lantern? Plenty. What we see now is that shielding the harsh
light isnt just about blocking Blanche from the plain view of the world its also
about blocking the world from Blanches eyes. She doesnt want to see it. She
doesnt want to deal with reality. Does that sound like a Major Point in Blanches
character? Good, because it is. (Read her "Character Analysis" for more.)

Blanche also uses light imagery to describe the benefits of poetry, music, and art
in contrast to what she considers to be Stanleys primitive nature. She tells
Stella, "There has been some progress since then! Such things as artas poetry
and musicsuch kinds of new light have come into the world since then! [] In
this dark march [] dont dont hang back with the brutes!" (4.118). Its fitting
that things like art and poetry are described the same way as love for Blanche
as forms of light penetrating the darkness of the world. Remember, shes an
English teacher, and her idea of love is an incredibly romanticized, poetic, artful
one.

The last prong of this light imagery has to do with Stanley. We couldnt help but
notice that he describes the sex with his wife as "having them colored lights
going" (8.55). He uses this phrasing twice, actually, which should draw your
attention. Its important that while light was a form of love for Blanche, its
innuendo for sex for Stanley. Its also important that the lights are colored, which
is in contrast to Blanche (whose name means "white"). See "Tools of
Characterization" for more discussion of this color business.
Flowers
Remember in "Whats Up With The Title?" when we talk all about the connection
between desire and death in A Streetcar Named Desire? If not, you should check
it out. Flowers are the perfect symbol of this odd pairing of lust and destruction.
To start, take a look at the end of Scene Five, when Mitch brings Blanche roses.
Hes using flowers to court Blanche desire, right? Now look at Scene Nine, when
the Mexican Woman comes around selling flores para los muertos, or "flowers for
the dead." We just went from desire to death in three scenes using one symbol.
As if that werent enough, we have this lovely exchange right here:

STELLA
You are as fresh as a daisy.
BLANCHE
One thats been picked a few days. (3.33-4)

Stella means to suggest that Blanche is attractive (desire), but Blanche feels as
though shes past her prime (death).
Music
First of all, if you read your stage directions carefully you'll notice that Williams
uses music to establish the mood of many different scenes in Streetcar. Its
basically like watching a movie, where the music is fast-paced during a chase

scene, tender in a love scene, etc. But were interested more in the specific
songs that are used repeatedly as symbols in the play starting with the
"Varsouviana." Williams mentions the name of this polka in his stage directions,
but Blanche, too, gives its name in Scene Nine. This is important, since those
watching the play instead of reading it dont have the benefit of Williamss
commentary. If he wanted the audience to know the tune, he had to place it in
the dialogue of one of his characters.

Now what is this Varsouviana? Why havent we heard of it? Well, its a polka
tune, so unless youre into that you likely wouldnt have encountered this song
before. It sounds a bit like merry-go-round music, which you can imagine is eerie
to hear in a Gothic-type drama on the stage. Or, if you dont feel like imagining,
watch this a man play it on the accordion on YouTube. Or listen to a 30-second
clip on iTunes; there are a few.

Anyway you get the point. It sets the mood of Blanche being unstable and
imagining creepy music that no one else can hear. It also helps when she
explains that her husband killed himself while the Varsouviana Polka was playing.
She cant escape the guilt of feeling like she caused his suicide. She cant escape
her husbands death, so she cant escape the music, either.

What else have we got for music? How about the song "Paper Moon" that
Blanche sings while shes in the bathtub in Scene Seven? Just a random ditty?
Take a look at the lyrics before you write it off. These lines all sung by Blanche
are interwoven with Stanley and Stellas argument:

BLANCHE
(singing) "Say, its only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard seaBut it
wouldnt be make-believe If you believed in me!
[]
Its a Barnum and Bailey world, Just as phony as it can be But it wouldnt be
make-believe If you believed in me!
[]
Without your love,
Its a honky-tonk parade!
Without your love,

Its a melody played in a Penny arcade

[]
Its only a paper moon, Just as phony as it can be But it wouldnt be makebelieve If you believed in me!
[]
Its a Barnum and Bailey world, Just as phony as it can be." (9.30-45)

We-lllll, what do we have here? A world filled with fantasy? Check. Blanches
complete dependence on the love of other people? Check. The need for others to
join her in self-delusion and artifice? Check, check, check.
ANTIGONE
Characters
Much of the symbolism in Antigone lies in the characters themselves. Antigone
and Creon represent a number of opposing forces: male vs. female, family ties
vs. civic duty, man vs. nature, and man's laws vs. the laws of the gods. Also,
there's the blind prophet Teiresias who could be seen as representing the will of
the gods..
Entombment
Images of tombs and burials pop up a lot in the Oedipus plays. In Antigone,
Creon causes all kinds of problems by bungling issues of burial. The prideful king
has committed a double blasphemy by letting Polyneices's body go unburied,
while entombing Antigone when she's still alive. At points we feel like saying,
"No, no, Creon. It's the dead ones that go in the ground." The symbolic paradox
of Creon's double blasphemy, shows just how far from sensible Creon's hubris
has taken him.

Also, Antigone's fearless march to her own entombment and talk of being a bride
to death suggests that she feels closer to her dead family members than to the
living. She seems to have no problem at all leaving behind her sister Ismene and
her fianc Haemon, but talks of how swell it will be to reunite with Oedipus and
her brothers in death. When Antigone takes her own life inside her tomb, it could
be seen as symbolic of the fact that she's found the tragic fate she always knew
awaited her.
Birds
There's tons of bird imagery throughout Antigone. For one, there's lots of talk of
carrion birds making a buffet of Polyneices. The Chorus also describes Polyneices
himself as a bird, a big mean eagle wreaking havoc on Thebes. This description

seems to heighten the idea of Polyneices as fearful aggressor against his home
town. The Chorus even goes so far as to describe Polyneices the eagle as
feasting on their blood. This becomes pretty ironic when the birds are feasting on
him.

Another instance of avian imagery is when the Sentry describes Antigone as

hovering over Poyneices's body like a mother bird. Here the bird reference seems
to strengthen Antigone's symbolism as both a maternal figure as well as
representative of the ancient force of nature.

The biggest bit of bird symbolism comes from Teiresias. This is not a surprise,
since the prophet is skilled in the magic art of augury or telling the future from
the behavior of birds. The seer tells King Creon all about how the birds are
fighting each other, which symbolizes the horrible imbalance the King has
created in nature. Teiresias goes on to tell Creon that the birds won't talk about
the future because they've gorged themselves on Polyneices's blood. (Yuck.) The
birds have evidently also pooped all over the altars of Thebes. (A bad day for the
altar cleaner.) All this foul bird imagery (pun intended!) seems to symbolize the
corruption that Creon has caused by not burying Polyneices.

QUESTIONS FOR CLASS

So, Streetcar is obviously the most useful play to talk about when it comes to
symbolism. You can all bang through many of the symbols, but why DOES
Williams use it so much? Why is it such an integral part of his style in this
particular play? (And all the others, to be honest.) Can we link it to context
(transcendentalism) and theme (alternate realities) and character (Blanche)?

What can we say about the other two plays? Journey compares well in many
ways; a lot of the symbols (light / dark, alcohol and other stimulants or
distractions, prozed objects) are more or less the same. The two plays come from
similar literary contexts so the shared American awareness of Emersonian
transcendentalism (thanks, Ann!) can be referred to in both cases. But ONeills
diegesis is less meaningful, less colourful and textured than Williams - why is
this?
Antigone might be the odd one out here, although there are still obvious
similarities (light / dark, or vision / blindness, for example.) The characters can be

seen to be symbolic, though; is this true of the other plays? Do they represent
types of people?