Three Sources; Infinite Metaphors

Metaphors and symbols seem to be come to us naturally and tend to fall seamlessly across almost every literary piece known to man. When people come across metaphors and symbols it helps them express deep thought and conceptualize. There are countless instances in which a person might come across a metaphor or symbol. In the movie The Postman, Mario (the main character) finds himself having intellectual conversations with the famous poet, Pablo Neruda. Mario becomes interested in poems due to the female attention that comes with it. Although he is far from being a poet himself, he is able to find metaphors and symbols towards the end of the movie. For example, when Pablo asks what fishing nets in Italy are like, Mario says they are “sad”. This can be interpreted a number of different ways but the main idea is that Mario was able to interpret what he had experienced with the nets and allot it a bigger meaning. At the end of the movie, Mario has found multiple metaphors and symbols within Italy that help describe what Italy is like in deeper terms. Mario mentions the stars, the church bells, and the sound of fish nets being hung up. Although the audience may be amused by all of the random sounds Mario choices there is a meaning behind each and every one. At the beginning of the movie, Mario has slight depression due to the fact that he has yet to find joy in his life. He views his hometown as a place that is not so special and yet at the end of the story, all of those characteristics of his country that he might of disliked and neglected, have now become reasons why it is actually beautiful and meaningful. This story is an example of how symbols and metaphors have an important impact on human perspective.

Next I would like to mention a piece of poetry as an example of metaphors and symbols, one specifically by Pablo Neruda, that really captures the meaning of life. The poem is called Walking Around. The poem begins with Neruda saying “It just so happens I am sick of being a man”, which will set the tone for half of the poem. In this, he means that he has been a man so long and continuously had to deal with the complications of being a man, that he is actually sick of being a human. He literally state that he feels “dried up” and “waterproof”. This metaphor could refer to the wrinkles and damage his skin possesses at the time or it could refer to the fact that he feels all of his young energy is drained. Neruda later goes on to say that “I want to lie still like stones or wool”, meaning he would rather just be and not have to face human challenges on a daily basis. The attitude of the poem changes quickly when he says “Still it would be marvelous, to terrify a law clerk with a cut lily”, or “killing a nun with a blow to the ear”. This assumes that he would find joy in revolting against the ideals with which he grew up with in order to add excitement to his life. Towards the end of the poem he begins explaining how he goes about his life in rage and in skepticism, forgetting all of the desires of being something besides a human. This is something that I find interesting because I might soon have feelings such as these as I progress throughout my life.

The story A Hundred Years of Solitude encompasses multiple metaphors and symbols that are recurring throughout its entirety. One important instance is the constant appearance of the “gypsies” at Moncado. The introduction of new objects and ideas make some of the residents reach the point of insanity (aka Jose Arcadio Buendia). Every time that Moncado seems to reach a point of slight stability, the gypsies come in with new ideas and inventions that seems to distract everyone in town from more important matters. The gypsies seem to resemble distraction and keep Moncado in a more primitive state. For God’s sake they are not even capable of creating an irrigation system in order to tend to their crops well. When humans witness the success and progression of others, they tend to either regress or become over motivated to the point where they give up their goals more quickly. Another symbol that intrigued me was Fernanda’s “invisible doctors”. During this state, Fernanda was irritable and controlling and she was apparently unable to have sexual intercourse. This is extremely symbolic in terms of ones psychological state. Fernanda’s “invisible doctors” could just be viewed as her body and conscience telling her she has reached the period of infertility (menopause). When people notice that something might be off with their body, they usually are told by their BODY. People then tend to diagnose themselves with certain problems or illnesses and take it upon themselves before actually consulting an expert.

Advertisement