Symbols and Signs . . .

For most all of the story, I thought I was unable to recognize the symbols and signs. In fact, at the end I was trying to think of what those five fruit-jellies could possibly signify. Even now as I write this blog, I find myself nervous about writing something stupid.

When I had finished reading, I searched on the website page to look for some sort of resource that would give a little more information. Finding nothing, I googled the name "Symbols and Signs", and found a few analyses of the short story, and the following interesting fact on Wikipedia: "In a letter to Katharine White, Nabokov said that "Signs and Symbols", like "The Vane Sisters", was a story "wherein a second (main) story is woven into, or placed behind, the superficial semitransparent one." He did not say what the main story was.^[4]" 

I think this gives good evidence for why Professor Sexson would have us read such a depressive story. The "depressive story" is only the covering to the actual work of art. The central story is rich with meaning, yet it is not easily recognized. This seems to be the theme of the entire class. We are instructed to be mythic detectives and to see the world not just visually or emotionally, but also with knowledge of myths that have been passed down for a few thousand years. 

A woman I know lives in a similar way. She has so many things, so many small things that have a magnitude of meaning to her. If some stranger were to look at those heirlooms, they would probably see junk, but she sees and knows so much by those signs that are all over her life. 

I see that I am similar in ways. I was recently given many, many wedding gifts when I was married. I greatly like pretty much everything, but there are certain things that are especially precious to me because of the people who gave them to me, and their life and relationship to me. 

And this in turn is similar to words. When I think of home, I attribute much different meaning to that word that you do, and yet there are probably some similarities. Words have meaning that can be shallow or deep to the perceiver. To some degree, the way in which we understand the world is dependent upon us. To some degree we have agency of our knowledge of the world, and this makes us responsible for ourselves. 

Isn't it interesting how we use the wording rich when we refer to meaning? I think we do because meaning impacts our lives, and this reminds me of how in Romans 12:1, Paul writes that Christians are to be "transformed by the renewing of [their] minds." Our way of thinking, our perception of everything greatly impacts our life, whether we want to admit it or not.