The most in-depth project we had to do featuring symbolism was writing the Mistletoe Essay. It definitely opened my eyes a great deal to how much we actually see symbolism and not recognize it. Some of my favorite interpretations of symbols in the story were:
Mistletoe- love, freedom (it was growing wild)
Lover's stroke- abrupt ending of the main character's happy life
Trip to the location of the mistletoe- The woods themselves reminded that narrator of the happy times she used to have. When she lead her husband to it, the secret location seemed to represent her long over affair and how his coming disturbed the peace/happiness in the affair.
When I finished writing that essay, I felt like I really understood the story Mistletoe inside and out. I even was able to figure what I thought was the theme of the story which was that memories can take over your life unless you focus on the present. All in all, this assignment definitely fulfilled it's purpose which was to help me really understand symbolism and theme as well gain the ability to recognize them in stories.
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I'm so glad you were able to use your writing to deepen your reading. That's how it's supposed to work!
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