Symbolism In Katherine Anne Porter's Flowering Judas

Grantland
Kaylie Grantland
Hensley
English 11/Fourth Period
05 March 2018
Part 14: Rough Draft #2 In Katherine Anne Porter ‘Flowering Judas’, Porter states, “The gluttonous bulk of Braggioni has become a symbol of her many disillusionments, for a revolutionist should be lean, animated by heroic faith, a vessel of abstract virtues”(Porter 311). This quotes shows a description of Braggioni, and that Braggioni represents disillusionment of Laura. It also shows the symbolism in Porter’s style of writing. Her style of writing comes out very unusual. She writes a lot about her past and emotions. Everything that happened to her growing up she based off of ¨Flowering Judas¨. How she uses symbolism in this quote for Braggioni shows her style of

When Porter states in “Flowering Judas”, “Nobody touches her, but all praise her gray eyes, and the soft, round under her lips which promises gaiety, yet is always grave, nearly always firm closed: and they cannot understand why she is in mexico”(Porter 314). What Porter is saying in this is that she is like so pretty and everything, but they are wondering why she is in Mexico. Not only is Porter using the setting in this, but she is also using this quote to show an imagery of Laura. Talking about how pretty she is and the way her lips feel, and her really pretty eyes. It’s like they are basically saying she is too good for Mexico. She has no reason to be in Mexico. With Porter saying this she is letting us know that the story takes place in Mexico. As it states in short stories for students “Porter based the story on events she experienced and observed in Mexico during 1920 and 1921, in the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution”(Milne 30). This explains that she bases her stories off of what she has done in her life. Not only what she has done in her life, but what has happened to her in her life. In her life between 1920 and 1921 in Mexico is what she wrote about in the “Flowering Judas”. The 1920s through 1921 did not seem like a great time for Porter. The reader's know that Porter writes about how she grew up. As the reader knows this they can see that Porter did not have a very great life in the

Porter shows disillusionment and symbolism in her writing towards Braggioni. Braggioni is also a betrayer in the story to Laura. He is in love with her and comes to her house every single night to sing her a love song. He shows betrayal to her not only by being rude and having anger problems, but he is rude to everyone in the story. The whole town knows Braggioni as a greedy man. This all relates to society because most people use symbols to relate to something they are saying, if not all the time then at least sometimes. Have you ever related something to someone to make sure they understand what you´re talking about? Well when writers use symbols that's what they're doing. People use very many different ways to explain things, but writers,especially Katherine Porter, use symbols to explain to the reader what they are trying to say. Not only do the writers use symbols to explain something to the writers, but they also use symbols to make the reader think and pay attention to the story. If the reader really read the story then you will catch on to the symbol the writer is trying to throw out there at the reader

Works cited
Hardy, Sarah Madsen.”This Strana House. Home and alienation in ‘Flowering Judas’.”
The Gale Group, 2000. 34-36. Rpt. in Short Stories for Students. Ira Mark Milne,
Ed. Short Stories for Students. Vol. 8. Detroit : The Gale Group,2000. Print. 24-48.
Milne,Ira Mark, ed.