The Knife:
The knife is a symbol of pain, suffering, death, and destruction. The bridegroom's mother is the first to clue us into this by saying, "The knife! The knife! Damn all of them! And the monster who invented them!" (6). The mother would only feel this way because of the death and destruction that the knife stands for. The mother has experience with this death and destruction since she has lost both her son and husband to weapons.
Farming:
Farming is a symbol of maturity, wealth, and sustainability. The Bridegroom working and owning the vineyard shows that he has wealth and that he is ready to support a family. Being able to farm shows that you have reached manhood. Owning land is a status symbol; the more land you own the wealthier you are.
The Horse:
The horse repeatedly rejects the water, which is something that the horse needs to live. To me, this shows defiance of the law, the law of nature. Perhaps, the horse is a symbol of rebellion, of Independence, and individualism. Given, the context, it being a lullaby, it could be telling the baby to not be a rebel, to stay loyal to his or her parents or the consequences could be catastrophic.
To Olivia:
I liked what you said about the flowers, I think the blooming of flowers goes well with what is going on in the play so far. the marriage, young children growing, all of those go well with blooming flowers and I find that connection intriguing.
To Haley:
I liked your ideas about the subconscious and how that could possibly relate to the horse. I had analyzed those two separately. Combining the two adds an interesting dimension.
I liked how you mentioned independence, and individualism with the horse, it does seem like there is some kind of choice/sacrifice being made with the horse, maybe this could connect to how the bride is sacrificing wealth and security to be happy with leonardo?
ReplyDelete