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Irony And Symbolism In The Short Story 'Janus'

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There are several things in life that can hold value to a person. One object can be just an object to one person while at the same time be so much more to a different person. In the short story Janus, the object that Andrea had fixated on is a simple bowl. She is obsessed with the bowl, thinking about it all of the time and worrying about it. It is not hard to see that the bowl was something much more to her than any other ordinary object. In the beginning of the story it perceived to hold a certain meaning to her, it symbolized different aspects of her life. The ending led to yet another meaning that the bowl held. A singular item, like a bowl, can hold multiple meanings. The focus is the bowl, that is the object that symbolized several …show more content…

Now knowing that and with the knowledge of her lover leaving her, it brings to light the main symbol the bowl has for Andrea. It explains why she could not talk about the bowl with her husband and why she became so engrossed by the bowl. The bowl was a symbol of guilt and secrecy when it come to her husband. “…she would look at him [her husband] and feel guilty that she had such a constant secret” (Beattie 103). That line was earlier believed to be about her hidden reason for success, the bowl, but with the knowledge of the lover it is clear that she meant the affair. The obsession with the rock started when her lover left. Andrea could not talk about that with her husband and so then she focused all of her emotions towards the bowl. That brings deeper meanings to the bowl and what it stands for. In the big picture, the rock symbolizes the control she wants in her life. A singular item, like a bowl, can hold multiple meanings. With her work the bowl symbolized safety and success in her job. Personally, the bowl stands for peace and comfort. In the case of her husband and marriage it stands for guilt and secrecy. Overall, in the grand scheme of her life the rock symbolizes something steady and controllable. The bowl holds so many meanings in her life even though it is just a inanimate

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