No matter what type of story we are reading there is always something to be found if you look a little deeper. The writer is able to bring readers in with the use of rhythm, characterization, or setting, among many other things throughout their writing. It is imagination that allows us, the readers of these stories and poems, to be able to fill in the blanks or mentally visualize what the writer wants us to see through use of descriptive words or symbolism. In the the story Used To Live Here Once by Jean Rhys and the poem The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, I recognized a similar theme; It doesnt matter what we are doing in life or where our journey is taking us, everyone has the opportunity to choose their own destiny. Dont be fooled by the comparing theme, these stories are very different when it comes to symbolism and also in the way that they were written.
The theme in each of these works is much the same, but it is presented in very different ways. In I Used To Live Here Once by Jean Rhys, this woman in the story was in this journey alone. The author in this story explains of a woman who is alone and reflecting on her life. In each piece of literary writing being discussed in this paper, the loneliness throughout the journey is clear. However, the ending to the journeys vary because of the choices the characters make.The Road Not Taken, Frost used Two roads diverged in a yellow wood which told me that he was on a journey; he also used and sorry I could not travel both as a way to tell the audience that he had to make the decision of which path to take. The author did not speak of anyone traveling with the subject, which lead me to the conclusion that he was traveling alone.
A storys setting also affects the kind of engagement that the readers will have with the story. An illustration would be the title of the Road Not Taken. From the title itself, the reader can already sense the conflict in the poem. In fact, the first line of the poem two roads diverged in yellow wood made me wonder as a reader where the two roads could possibly lead me. Also, the first person narrative of the poem makes it easier for a reader to relate to it, put myself into the story and character because of the more personal approach. Frosts writing allows the reader to take his perspective on things, for instance his description of a certain path where it bent in the undergrowth and grassy and wanted wear. These descriptions made it clear enough for the readers that there are two distinct paths but are both leading to the same destination. Another interpretation for this is a persons attachment to something that is special for him.
Poetry is definitely filled with symbolisms since it is one of its features. For example, the color yellow could mean an aging or something that is starting to lose its value. Apparently, the two roads in the story could mean a dilemma or two conflicting ideas that a person is dealing with. This could refer to any choice that the person is trying to make. Based on the poem, I can feel that Frost is trying to imply that the person is torn between two opportunities that he is facing. Further, there is another symbolism used to describe the two paths which is in leaves no step had trodden black. Black here could mean death, because of the context of the sentence where it was used. As the poem progresses, it was revealed that there was a more enticing path for the character which was grassy and seemingly vibrant, but doesnt guarantee any certainty. Because of this, the other path is considered to be more appealing because it is safe and certain. But, the character in the poem was also bothered by the fact that people who passed by that path never came back. A decision was gradually revealed in the course of the poem, quite creatively. Before giving away the decision readily, the author presented a situation where the character was in front of the woods where he stayed on the first for another day. The author was able to creatively emphasize that it was the decision that the decision made was more inclined on the uncertain path, which was definitely more exciting.
From beginning to end, Jean Rhys used symbolism to illustrate and to explain the meaning of things. The character stood by the river, which we know from our from our text (Clugston,2010) is symbolic of life. She did not walk into the river, she stood by it. This symbolism is symbolic of the entire story itself, since at the very end of the story we realize that the woman was deceased and more or less a ghost that was looking back on life. This was a journey that the character took alone.. The day was a fine blue day. The color blue is used to tell the reader that it was a peaceful day. Rhys wrote on to tell us that the character noticed the pine tree was missing from outside of her own home, as her journey led her to her old doorstep. This is symbolism of immortality. Her old house had been painted white, which provides the feeling of life or purity. The characters observation of the boy and girl playing in the yard was one that I will never forget. The colors of the yellow grass as she approached them and the gray in the boys eyes as the character tried to speak to him. This is when I first realized that the character was indeed a ghost looking in on her old life. The usage of colors throughout Used to Live Here Once is what drew me into this story. When I first read the story I never paid any attention to the colors . After reading the text on the meanings of symbols and when linking these colors to symbolism, it gave me a much deeper perspective on what Rhys was trying to tell the reader. The lonely journey that this character was on in her passing was the mirror image of the lonely journey she went through when she was alive. It, once again, confirms that the decisions we make in life are what determine the ending of our journey.
Used to Live Here Once was the second piece I chose to read. The setting was one of sadness. I could visualize this woman standing by the river and remembering each one. It gave me the idea that she had been there long before but had forgotten the beauty of the river over time. Sad beginnings to literary pieces are not something that normally draws me in. However, the story grew more intriguing to me as the setting moved to her old home. When she noticed that the screw pine was gone, I still felt the pity and sadness for the character. Since the writer chose to write in a third person perspective, it was difficult for me to actually identify with the character personally. Rhys wrote it was strange to see a car standing in front of it. The personification of this car Standing in front of her old house was difficult to be considered strange since it was not an actual feeling of the character but instead an observation by the writer. In fact, the idea that the writer was this close to the character made me think she was speaking of herself in third person. Elizabeth Abel wrote a piece on Jean Rhys saying that Rhys writings typically subject us to sparse and repetitive narratives and are variations of themes of failure and rejection. (Abel, 1979) This could be, perhaps, how the writer was able to make me feel as if, although told in third person, I was able to identify with her more closely. I was able to feel was the pity that the writer felt for the character through the words, such as when she spoke shyly to the kids but they did not hear her. It seemed as if the journey was lonely for this character. The words she tells me this and also the fact that the setting is very calm and serene but without emotion from the character.
There was so much symbolism within the poem The Road Not Taken. Two roads diverged could be seen as anything that someone could have to choose between. I know a girl who is trying to choose between two men, I know many people are trying to choose between two jobs. It could literally mean anything, much like and inner struggle with ones self. The word yellow, as used to describe the two roads in which could could be symbolic of aging or decay (Clugston, 2010). To me, it seemed as if the subject of the story could have been going through something tough in his life, and he had two new roads, of which the pathways and the endings were each unknown. One path had been the one he was on, but did not know where it would end. The other road was green and grassy, and had more curb appeal if you will, and the ending for that road was also unknown, Frost referred to the both paths as in leaves no step had trodden black. In his description, the use of the word black shows symbolism of death .It seemed as the subject in the story was evaluating what choices in life that he had and he was realizing that his alternative pathway perhaps looked better but would lead to death eventually as all paths do. There came a turning point in the poem when he actually had to make a choice and take a leap of faith. The setting of a story or poem is something that can be used to paint a picture of the story. With the first line being Two roads diverged in yellow wood, I imagined myself standing in that wood wondering where those the pathways would take me. When I realized that the poem was written in the first person, I was even more able to actually step into the subjects shoes and see the two paths from his point of view. I enjoyed being able to put myself in the characters place and see things from his point of view as I believe that it made the story so much better. Frost wrote about one path that it he could see where it bent in the undergrowth which meant that it had been traveled frequently and he went on to say that the other path was grassy and wanted wear which obviously means that the path was calling out to the subject. This painted a picture of the woods, two pathways, both very much the same but both very different. They have different endings and we are not sure of the outcome of either. Of course in the story they are just paths but I feel there is a much bigger picture at hand and that this story is much more than just to paths that have separate endings.
The two stories are comparable because they both have a lot of symbolism and really require you to take a more in depth look to fully comprehend the story. These stories also have corresponding themes which would be the journey of life. They are so different in many ways but one is about choosing living and one is about someone who already lived. They are also written in very different styles and at first glance you may read the stories and not see any correlation whatsoever, but when you take a deeper look you find that they are very much relatable.
The journeys that take place in the two literary pieces are different, but they evolved around the state of being alone. First, the Road Not Taken was more on the solidarity of choosing the path to take. Secondly, the Used to Live Her Once, from the title itself tells of a life of a woman who has already passed. The end point is that, each of these stories has their own valuable lesson to share to the readers.
REFERENCES
(Abel E 1979)Abel, E. (1979). Women and Schizophrenia: The Fiction of Jean Rhys. Retrieved from Contemporary Literature Web site: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1207964
Clugston, R. W. (2010).Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (https://content.ashford.edu/books)
Frost R. (1916). The Road Not Taken. Mountain Interval. New York: Holt.
Rhys, J. (1976). I Used to Live Here Once. Sleep it off, lady. London: Penguin Books.
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