Why Can't You Just Be Straightforward, Please?

  I don’t hate symbolism, but I can’t really say I like it either. It’s confusing. I like being able to identify symbols, but figuring out what it means, or what the author intended it to mean, can be extremely difficult. As I followed along with the book and took in what Thomas was explaining, I got answers on some questions i’d always had about symbolism and its uses, but at the same time, the extent of detail that Thomas went into about the effects of symbolism has caused me to become even more confused than I had before I read this chapter. If the symbol is created by the author, then doesn’t he have specific meaning he/she wants us to catch on to? If he/she does, why must it be a multitude of meanings? Why does an author hint towards several meanings in a symbol? Why isn’t an author ever straightforward when introducing a symbol? How do you know if what you believe the meaning behind a symbol is right? Does it have to be right? These questions can go on and on and on, and by the way Thomas explained things in this chapter, there is probably a yes and no answer to all of the questions I just listed - which is very confusing.  In literature, it’s not too challenging to detect symbolism. However, attempting to uncover what the symbol represents it such a tedious, and difficult task.  Since reading this chapter, one of my biggest questions is to know whether or not an allegory a type of symbolism, and how can you differentiate the two. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chief, the main character, has these episodes where he envisions fog consuming him. This fog is present a lot throughout this book and is usually caused by Nurse Ratched.

 When the fog sets in, Chief is entranced with it, losing sense of reality and his frightened emotions. This fog is a symbol for something. For what? For loss of reality? Does it symbolize a sort of mental escape? How can I figure out what it means? I understood what Thomas was saying about using your own knowledge and experiences as well as looking into the text and picking up on clues, but how do you put the pieces together? How about the way Chief describes society as being machines? Is that supposed to mean that those who work and run the ward are just mechanical robots with no morals or feelings? Or does it mean that we as people are made to follow orders, not to have any personal opinions or idea? Or does it mean the patients at the ward turn into machines because of the psychological scarring that the ward puts onto them? Or is it not even symbolism, but a metaphor? And If it’s just one of these meaning that are right, is it considered an allegory, or did Kesey intend for it to mean other things too, and I just can’t figure the others out? There are so many questions to be asked about allegories and symbols, and I think it’s a safe bet to say that sometimes there is no right answer. I wish authors were just straightforward with what they want us to understand. Is that so hard?