| Symbolism is found in several of Hemingway's novels and short stories. Write an essay discussing examples of symbolism from the short story "The Butterfly and The Tank." "His gaiety comes in contact with the seriousness of the war like a butterfly--" ("The Butterfly and The Tank") Throughout Earnest Hemingway's short story 'The Butterfly and The Tank" he developed two main symbols that served as the title of the work as well. While taking place during the Spanish Civil War the narrator goes into a bar to het out of the rain when a seies of events change the rest of his day and impacted his life. The story told is that of a butterfly's unfortunate incident with a tank. While in the bar the narrator observed a plain clothed gentleman who had apparently had a lot to drink. For a laugh he was spraying the waiters with a substance from a flit hun. Annoyed by this untimely jest the waiters had the disrespectful fellowthrown out only to have him return to squirt them again. Extemely agitated some of the men in the bar cornered him and then proceeded to shoot him. It was this unfortunate felloe who represented the butterfly. He was unable to enter the war for he had a heart condition, making him frail. The flit hun was also filled with cologne, making the seeming insult a compliment and holding the innocence of a butterfly. He had just flown into the bar to lighten peoples days through his glorious color and humorous jest. As is expected, the war does not posses a very care-free atmosphere. Instead tension is high, nerves are pinched, and patience low. Throughout the bar this was portrayed through the many customers that occupied it. Uniforms were worn by most of the people there as many were involved in the revolutionary movement. Cigarettes were in great demand to calm one's self. Perhaps the waiter's responses characterized the atmoshpere the best, screaming out "No hay deracho." The other men in the bar also were very quick to pull their guns on the joker and shoot him. There was an intenc\se need for control that filled the bar as is the typical element of war. If one is to survive in a warring region they must always be alert and ready to jump out of the way or else be crushed by the indifferent and intolerant warring existance. Like a tank it will smash anything inits path that will not move, including little butterflies. Through Hemingway's own personal experience in a bar in which a poor jocker was another victum of war, he ws able to create the symbolism htat is evident in his work. The butterfly of the story was the drunken owner of the flit hun who did not know what he was getting himself into by trying to brighten peoples days. The tank represented the seiousness of war which stops for no one and ultimately crushes all that oppose it. Through out the tales entirety it was thse two symbols that were developed and drawn upon. |