Explain how symbolism is used in one of the stories from this lesson. This includes “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien or “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne only. Please keep in mind that you should be discussing how the use of symbols helps explain or supports meaning in the story.

CASE STUDY

Your essay should hit (or come reasonably close) the last line on page 2.

Explain how symbolism is used in one of the stories from this lesson. This includes “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien or “The Birth-Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne only. Please keep in mind that you should be discussing how the use of symbols helps explain or supports meaning in the story. In other words, how does the use of symbols help us to better understand the lesson we should learn from this work.

Questions to consider include the following:
What symbol(s) did you notice in this story?
What “big ideas” do the symbols represent?
How do the symbols relate to the story’s meaning or overall theme?
Can these symbols be interpreted in more than one way?

Your first paragraph should include (a) the name of the story and author, (b) a one or two sentence summary of the story and (c) your thesis statement or main point about the symbols used in the story.
Your essay should be written in academic style (no first or second person, academic language, use of MLA formatting) AND include examples or quotes from the story.