Symbolism refers to an individual, position or item which has a significance in itself but indicates other definitions as well. Things, figures and activities can be signs. Anything that indicates a significance beyond the obvious. According to this context, symbolism exist in the poem “Richard Cory,” the play “Fence,” and the fiction story “To Room Nineteen.”
Richard Cory is himself symbolic in that he represents the rich personalities in the society that are adored by almost everyone. Edwin Robinson clearly reveals to us in his poem "Richard Cory" that someone else’s lifestyle may not be all that meets the eye. The townspeople looked up to Richard Cory, they envied him and his way of life. However, if they would have known him personally, instead of evaluating him from his overall look, they would have not desired to be just like Rich Cory.
Lessing used “water image” within the story to show the course of the Rawlings’ wedding, the emotional turmoil, and therefore the gradual disintegration of Susan’s ego which caused her lack of energy. At the start, Susan was glad along with her wedding, husband and family, and was happy within the confinements of the “big married bedroom (which had a pretty view of the river)” (MacGibbon & Kee, 1963, p.2544). Gradually, as husband and woman fell into habit and out of affection, drifting apart into such totally different lives, they “lay face by face, or breast to breast within the massive civilized bedroom commanding the wild tarnished watercourse, and they laughed, often, for no explicit reason; but they knew it had been often because of those 2 tiny folks, Susan and Matthew, supporting such an structure on their intelligent love” (MacGibbon & Kee, 1963, p.2546). The watercourse came to symbolize Susan’s reluctance to alter, her inability to outline herself against and in regard to the collective, rather than lease herself float at the side of the dispiriting collective expertise. Once, to be alone, she “went to the terribly finish of the garden by herself, and checked out the slow-moving brown watercourse, she checked out the watercourse and closed her eyes and, took a slow and deep breath, and dissolving it into her veins” (MacGibbon & Kee, 1963, p.2549). Her actions here were ironic, as a result of she known with the social collective, although it had been the terribly force which prevented her from having time to bounce back to she actually was. Slowly by slowly, she succumbed to all the pressure she’d been experiencing and drowned. In her last moments at the building she spent her time “delightfully, darkly, sweetly, lease herself slide gently, gently, to the sting of the river” (MacGibbon & Kee, 1963, p.2564). As she passed on, “she was quite content lying there, listening to the dark soft hiss of the gas that poured into the area, into her lungs, into her brain, as she drifted off into the dark river” (MacGibbon Kee, 1963, p.2564). That final image of the mythological watercourse of forgetfulness was important. It illustrated Susan’s complete loss self-identity to the patriarchic collective in spite of her disillusionment with its ideals. The image discovered Susan’s submission to the society which was focused by the patriarchic order.
Troy takes pride in keeping his family safe as well as putting food on the table for them through his occupation as a civil service worker. Troy's revolt and frustration acts as his morale as he strives for equity in a society which appears to give none—and it's this race that interferes with fairness, race which is the general fence in society preventing individuals of color from attaining the American dream. In his struggle to alter the fence of race, he builds a barrier between himself and his large family.
According to Rose, the fences play a symbolic role of providing security to the house meanwhile Alberto on the other hand regards the fence as a dome preventing death from occurring. Moreover, Troy is convinced that the fence is strong enough to keep trespassers out of his household just as he was incarcerated in prison.
The fence defines a character in Troy which reveals that he’s the type of person who distances himself from people both physically and emotionally. Troy consistently criticize and neglects his two sons and as a result, a barrier is created to an extent that they do not interact. Troy pushes Lyons away by refusing to listen to him as he plays “Chinese Music” (1.2.48). Furthermore, he scars his relationship with his other son Cory by stopping him from taking part in baseball which was his only opportunity to getting recruited by a university baseball team. Also, Troy states that Cory's things will "be on the opposite side of that fence" (2:4:110) when he forces him out of his homestead hence, It is through this scene that the fence is unveiled as Troy’s physical hindrance between him and his son. This broadly conveys the emotional barrier that Troy puts between himself and his two sons.
Troy was scammed out of an experienced football profession because of his race. The darkness of this neglect has stuck by him for as long as he can remember and made him angry. This is because at that time, racism was at its peak and blacks and whites were not allowed to play baseball in the same field as well as live in the same street. This fence plays a symbolic role by acting as a barrier towards success in his life together with that of his family.
References:
Robinson, Edwin, Arlington: The Children of the Night. Tilburg Town: Robinson Edward Arlington, 1987. Print
Lessing, Doris: To Room Nineteen: South Rhodesia: Flamingo; New Ed edition, 2002. Print
Wilson, August: Fences. Pittsburg: Plume, 1986. Print
