| The color red seems to play a significant role in the novel. For instance, red may represent life through the roses lining the road for the carnival, which also seem to be a symbol of the family�s new life they have started in Sweet Home. In this way, the color red can be used as a symbol of life and rejuvenation. At the same time, the speaker however comments on the roses being surrounded by the stench of death. This causes the red roses to be a symbol for not only life and rejuvenation, but also a symbol for death at the same time. For this reason, I have selected a picture of a rose, which is not only the object used in the novel but also a symbol of life as it is a living thing. However, upon closer inspection, scroll mouse over the image, you will see the multifaceted image by the image of death which appears upon closer inspection. Throughout the novel, the color red represents many good things like hope and is generally a symbol of life. However sometimes it is also a symbol of death. The description of the red blood during the scene when Sette is forced to kill her children to save them from a life of slavery shows that the color red is not only a symbol of life but also a symbol of death. For Paul D on the other hand, the Red Heart is a box in which he locks away his past. This causes him to start a new life without all the bad things that have happened in his life so far. Therefore the color red is often a positive symbol. In select few cases, the color red is perceived as a sign of death. The poem was something I found on a website. It struck me how accurately it captured the use of the color red in the way it addresses red as being a symbol of life as well as death. However it also talks about red being the color of blood much like Sette sees red when she thinks of the death of her children. However the poem also speaks of red as the color of love. This represents when the family is back together in Sweet Home and starts their new life together free of slavery. The color red represents life and death throughout the novel and is a powerful symbol of the characters in the novel. The background of the page is completely red because red is an overpowering image and has much influence on the novel. The overpowering effect of the red background is meant to show this as much as possible. |