Blog Post #3 - Symbolism

Aubree Monares

Literature

16 September 2017

Blog Post Number 3- Symbolism

            My associations with the idea of a forest depends on the setting and time in which the forest is being described. When I think of a forest in the morning when the sun is beginning to shine through the tops of the trees and the clear, blue sky is peering out from above the leaves, a forest seems like a place of peace and tranquility. However, when I imagine a forest at dusk when it is foggy and damp and the sunlight begins to fade, I feel uneasy and gloomy. Forests can be considered an archetype in literature, and I think that readers generally associate forests with fear, ominousness, and dullness. Forests are commonly presented in literature as places where characters happen to get lost or trapped. However, forests are also portrayed as places where characters find their strength and self-awareness, as in the short story “The Thing in the Forest.”

            One passage that describes the forest in this story, is when the narrator is describing Primrose’s exploration of the forest that once caused her angst. The narrator explains,

The wood was much the same, but denser and more inviting in its new greenness. Primrose’s body decided to set off in a rather different direction from the one the little girls had taken. New bracken was uncoiling with snaky force. Yesterday’s rain still glittered on limp new hazel leaves and threads of gossamer. Small feathered throats above her whistled and trilled with enchanting territorial aggression and male self-assertion. (Byatt 360)

At this point in the story, the forest is being described as a place of tranquility and new beginning. I believe that Primrose is beginning to come to terms with the Thing that she and Penny saw in the woods and how it has been negatively effecting her life and mental health. After Primrose speaks to Penny about what they saw in the woods when they were young girls, Primrose felt a weight lifted off her shoulders because she no longer feels as though she is crazy. I believe that this passage represents her journey moving forward and how her paradigm shift will allow her to enjoy life. The narrator describes the forest as being “more inviting in its greenness,” and my association with the color green is new and fresh and developing. This can symbolize Primroses’ new and fresh outlook on life after she comes to terms with the Thing she saw in the forest.

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