Is That a Symbol?

    I found myself relating very much so to the students that Foster was imitating at the beginning of this chapter. I have been told I am a “black and white thinker”, and for an artsy kid, that’s surprising for most people. I like to be right, and the truth is that all high school students feel the same way. (Clearly, Foster’s college students feel the same need to be correct as well.) I think I speak for the majority of my classmates when I say that when we looking for symbolism we expect them to mean exactly one thing and one thing alone.
    The truth is, it doesn’t work that way. Just as we bring our different worldly experiences and beliefs to the table when we come to school, we similarly bring our varying experiences when we read a book. Therefore, an object, person, setting, or idea does not symbolize the same thing for every single individual. I believe in the back of my mind, I did know this...however what I didn’t remember is that there is an actual term for the “symbolism” if it does mean the same thing for everyone.
                                                            ALLEGORY
    Though I haven’t read “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, I have heard much about it. It has come to be the go-to example of an allegory in literature. That’s beside the point, though interesting to take note of. This chapter deals with symbolism. So if three people can have three different responses as to what an item is symbolic of, how do we know which one is “right”? In a high school English class in which we are given a grade, this is troublesome, as we want to give the best answer to receive the best grade. If different authors can use the same natural landmark, such as a river, to mean different things, can’t the identification of the purpose of the symbol also differ depending on the person and the circumstance?
    An example that came to mind that displays how symbols can stand for a wide variety of things is evident through the 1962 novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest” by Ken Kesey. The novel, which takes place in a mental institution in Oregon has several symbols that represent various things. For instance, the fog machine can represent many different ideas. One suggestion is that it is representative of Chief’s lack of insight. Another suggestion is that it’s his escape from reality, and therefore a “safe place”, away from Nurse Ratched. Yet another explanation is that the fog is representative of the mechanical, mundane way the patients at the institution are under the control of authority. A fog is hazy, therefore if you are in a foggy state, you are unable to determine what it is you are doing. The administration at the hospital intended to maintain control over the patients, a practice that would not have been able to happen if the patients had not been in a foggy state of mind.