As a recently published book on the works of Stephen Crane, it is rather disappointing to see some of the key moments left out of Stanley Wertheim’s criticism in A Stephen Crane Encyclopedia about the short story “The Blue Hotel.” Wertheim leaves out a key point in the characterization of the Swede and the plot of the story. This occurs at the point where Patrick Scully, in the story, persuades the Swede to stay in his hotel despite his fears and inhibitions about the Wild West by getting him to drink and not to worry. This by itself is a climatic event because the Swede believes that he is about to be killed or poisoned as Scully brings out the bottle. Another event comes later as Wertheim simply brushes over the murder of the Swede. Both of these events are based on extreme emotional feelings and actions that cause the reader to question the motive behind the Swede’s actions as well as his characterization.
Wertheim does a very good job at bringing out other points in the novel. The setting he states is “bleak prairie town in northern Nebraska” with the fictional appearance of a dangerous western environment. The blizzard that occurs later in the story, Wertheim continues, represents a “hostile manifestation of nature” that ironically does not kill the Swede.
As Wertheim finishes his criticism with the final section of the story, he brings in several arguments about the fault of the Swedes death and the punishment of the gambler. He brings in the argument about the “affirmation of the Howellsian doctrine of complicity” and “the existential necessity for human brotherhood in a viable society.
Comparing Symbols and Symbolism in Blue Hotel, Black Cat, Night, Alfred Prufrock, Red Wheelbarrow
Color Symbolism in Blue Hotel, Black Cat, Night, Alfred Prufrock, Red Wheelbarrow
Symbolism of colors is evident in much of literature. “The Blue Hotel” by Stephen Crane, “The Black Cat” of Edgar Allan Poe, “Night” by William Blake, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot, and “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams encompass examples of color symbolism from both the prose and the poetry of literature. When drawing from various modes of psychology, interpretations of various colors, with emphasis to dream psychology, an analysis of the colors themselves and then their applications to literature can be readily addressed.
“Colour is one of the areas in daily life in which symbolism is most readily apparent.” (Fontana 66) The use of color as a source of symbolism is widespread and amidst the most traditional of sources which still possess symbolic qualities. Psychologically, colors derive such impact through relations to the natural world, such as the blue sky or a red rose. Dreams, being a prominent aspect of one’s self, are often a theme in poetry, and therefore the representation of colors within dreams should be addressed. Symbolism of colors is also evident in much of literature. “The Blue Hotel” by Stephen Crane, “The Black Cat” of Edgar Allan Poe, “Night” by William Blake, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot, and “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams encompass examples of color symbolism from both the prose and the poetry of literature. When drawing from various modes of psychology, interpretations of various colors, with emphasis to dream psychology, an analysis of the colors themselves and then their applications to literature can be readily addressed. …
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…ir innocence and purity.
In the final analysis, color symbolism reveals itself throughout various religions, dream psychology and even speech metaphorics. The incorporation of such symbolism into prose and poetry allows facets for many interpretations and ultimately the universality of literature.
Works Cited
Ackroyd, Eric. A Dictionary of Dream Symbols. London: Blandford, 1999.
Crane, Ronald S., Ed. A Collection of English Poems. New York: Harper and Row, 1932.
Fontana, David. The Secret Language of Symbols: A Visual Key to Symbols and Their Meanings. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1994.
Roberts, Edgar V. and Jacobs, Henry E. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Upper Saddlr River: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998.
Rodriguez, Celia. American Literature.
Womack, Martha. The Poe Decoder. 1997.