Analysis of Symbolism in Margaret Laurence's The Loons
...tte. The mystery that later would intrigue the narrator into trying to become closer to her. That fact alone, the sickness of Piquette's, is symbolic. It represents her burden in life, the extra baggage that threatens her life, or even fate's attempt to make everything much more difficult for her. Little is known of Piquette, but the father seems to know more than anyone which is symbolic of Piquette's bond with him. She trusts him, and opens up more to him than anyone which itself symbolizes Piquette's inner hope of desire for change. By opening up she is reaching out for help. The father must notice this, for he arranges for her to accompany his family to their lakeside cottage. In the description of the setting of the cottage Laurence mentions, "moss that had grown over fallen tree stumps." This could very well symbolize the regrowth that is important when someone dies, which is instinctive in nature but is most times a struggle to humans. The fact that the flowers of the raspberry bushes were white could symbolize death, since white is a traditional color of flowers for a funeral. The ability of the narrator to tame the wild squirrels reflects her warmth and is the reason for her persistent attempts to ‘tame' the wildness of Piquette. When the narrator asks Piquette to play, she responds scornfully, "I ain't a kid." This represents the lack of innocence in Piquette. She has known little of play and having fun in her life of having to be as responsible as an adult at the Tonnerre shack. The narrator goes on to mention how she knows very little of Indians, and even though Piquette is a ‘half breed,' she accepts her as an Indian. These limits of her total knowledge of Indians coming from old stories and her thinking that all they know about is ‘forest lore' reflects the narrator's youth and accompanying innocence and ignorance. One of the next things Laurence describes is the lake, which along with the loons, is probably the most significant of the symbolisms used. Originally, when the family first arrived at the lake, the lake was described as, "glistening greenly as the sun caught it." Whereas, later when the narrator was swimming in the lake it is described as, "icy," and that night, "the lake was like black glass... which was lightened by a cold flickering of stars," and the water's surface as, "dark," and, "still." For a character with a personality as warm as the narrator's to sense all this icy chillness about the lake symbolizes a great change in both atmosphere and mood. At first, upon arrival, the cottage and all the surroundings were perfect and the sun was warming everything. Now things are still, black, and icy cold. This is strongly symbolizing the upcoming presence of death. The father's death, symbolically, occurs in winter and the cause was pneumonia; both are the extreme representative version of cold in weather and sickness. The theme of this story seems to center around change, which is further represented by the loons. The father once said, "they must have sounded just like that before any person ever set foot here." This symbolizes how the loons have been an unchanging presence at the lake for some time. The father also reminded his daughter, "to remember how they sound, because in a few years when more cottages are built at Diamond Lake and more people come in the loons will go away." This statement foreshadows the eventual absence of the loons at the lake and also reflects upon the father's appreciation for their beauty. When the narrator returns to the lake some years after her father's death, she returns to find that things are different; have changed. For example, the pier her father built was gone, the mountain area was now a national park, and the name of the lake had been changed. The narrator goes on the describe that night at the lake, "there was no wind...