Symbols Flashcards
What does Hanging Rock symbolize?
Nature’s Power, Mystery and the Unknown, Indigenous History and Displacement.
It represents an ancient, untamed force of nature, the novel’s central enigma, and the erasure of native knowledge.
What thematic connection does Hanging Rock have?
It highlights humanity’s inability to fully grasp the sublime and infinite and contrasts Victorian rationality with natural forces.
What does Stopped Watches symbolize?
Temporal Disruption and Escape from Social Constructs.
It represents a breakdown in order and suggests freedom from Victorian societal constraints.
What thematic connection does Stopped Watches have?
It reflects the fragility of civilization’s control over primal forces and suggests that Hanging Rock exists outside societal rules.
What does Miranda symbolize?
Innocence and Idealization, Loss and Longing.
She is described as an angel or goddess, and her disappearance symbolizes unattainable perfection.
What thematic connection does Miranda have?
Her obsession reflects Victorian ideals that elevate purity while denying human complexities.
What do Corsets and Victorian Clothing symbolize?
Repression and Social Conformity, Freedom at the Rock.
The girls’ corsets symbolize restrictive moral codes, while loosening them represents shedding societal constraints.
What thematic connection do Corsets and Victorian Clothing have?
The act of loosening corsets represents brief liberation, but their subsequent disappearance reinforces ingrained restrictions.
What does Mrs. Appleyard’s Mansion symbolize?
Colonial Authority and Decay of Order.
The mansion represents oppressive Victorian structures and its decline symbolizes societal fragility.
What thematic connection does Mrs. Appleyard’s Mansion have?
Its downfall parallels Mrs. Appleyard’s mental disintegration and the collapse of societal ideals.
What does The Swan (Irma’s Nickname) symbolize?
Elegance and Superficial Beauty, Impermanence of Status.
Irma represents grace, but her control is an illusion hiding inner turmoil.
What thematic connection does The Swan have?
It critiques the hollowness of class privilege and emphasizes the isolation it brings.
What does The College Itself symbolize?
Institutional Repression and Collapse of Civilization.
Appleyard College reflects societal repression and becomes a microcosm for the decline of Victorian order.
What thematic connection does The College have?
It shows the tenuousness of societal norms when confronted with primal forces.
What does The Picnic symbolize?
Liminal Space and Fragility of Innocence.
It represents a transition point between controlled life and nature’s chaos.
