Symbols in “A Wall of Fire Rising” by Edwidge Danticat Essay

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“The boy was still mumbling the same words as the three of them used the last of the rainwater trapped in old gasoline containers and sugarcane pulp from the nearby sugarcane mill to scrub the gourds that they had eaten from” (Danticat 53).

The selected passage contains some of the most significant symbols in the story written by Edwidge Danticat, and they are opposed to one another. The first symbol is the boy’s words from the play that he is trying to learn. They are contrasted with the elements of his environment that include the last of the rainwater left for the family, old gasoline containers, the sugarcane pulp, and the gourds they used instead of dishes (Danticat 53). The principal meaning of these components is related to their belonging to either the world of rich people or other poor workers like themselves.

From this perspective, the words from the book that the boy is learning represent the benefits accessible only to wealthy men. For low-income families, education is more of a dream rather than a reality. This fact explains the strong reaction of Lili and Guy to the successes of their son at school. They encourage him to continue studying and even allow him to read during the dinner, thereby demonstrating their attitude to this idea. In turn, their optimism is marred by the attributes of their own lives or, in other words, poverty, such as the old gasoline containers in the yard.

The significance of these two categories of symbols included in the passage is defined by their influence on Guy. His decision to fly the balloon and jump off it is partially conditional upon the collision of his son’s world full of opportunities with his own miserable existence. Therefore, his reaction was much stronger than Lili’s emotions since he could not distract himself from his horrendous fate the way she did and could see only the symbols of poverty.

Work Cited

Danticat, Edwidge. “A Wall of Fire Rising.” Krik? Krak, Soho P, 1996, pp. 51-80.

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