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Symbolism In A Wall Of Fire Rising

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“A Wall of Fire Rising” by Edwidge Danticat is a short story about a family that suffers from severe poverty in a village located in Haiti. Guy is the father of the family and ends up leaping to his death, leaving his family to fend for themselves. Reading this dramatic story you can notice multiple symbols. A few symbols include Guy himself, the Sugar Mill, Young Assad, and the hot air balloon. Guy was a typical man in his town. He had a wife named Lili and a son named Little Guy. He did not have dependable work since there were hardly any jobs. The Sugar Mill was the only place for a stable job but it was nearly impossible to get hired on there. Guy was on the waiting list but was doubtful he would ever make it to the top of the list. He …show more content…

In the story Guy is happy just to get a job cleaning bathrooms for the day. Unsure about where the next paycheck is coming from, it was challenging to provide for his family. In most cultures a man is supposed to be the one who provides for the family and when they are not able to it takes a serious toll on their self-esteem and can affect them mentally. It was clearly beginning to take a toll on Guy. He started comparing himself to his own father who could not finically take care of him as child. This comparison really offended him. With all of this weighing Guy down you can tell he is struggling, not just finically anymore, but emotionally. I believe that Guy symbolizes how a lot of men feel when they cannot provide but are expected …show more content…

Instead of going to watch the state – sponsored news every night with the rest of the town, the family would go unwind in the sugar mill field. The couple would talk while Little Guy played and rehearsed his lines for his play. Their conversations would usually be somewhat serious as long as Guy did not get distracted by the hot air balloon. One night after supper Lili went to find her husband where she knew he would be – the Sugar Mill and Guy said, "Listen to this, Lili, I want to tell you a secret. Sometimes, I just want to take that big balloon and ride it up in the air. I'd like to sail off somewhere and keep floating until I got to a really nice place with a nice plot of land where I could be something new. I'd build my own house, keep my own garden. Just be something new." I think this shows just how much he thought and desire for freedom he had. Sometimes he would try to figure out how to fly it, and one day he told his wife that he knew

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