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Symbols and Signs by Vladimir Nabokov,
analysis and reaction. |
(Reaction) Signs and
Symbols by: Antonio Conejos
Symbols and signs deals with individuals who are
at a loss to explain the world around them. The trick of Nabokov's story is how
this premise is explored through the differences between the people who cannot
understand the world.
On one hand we have the unnamed son. His is a world
where everything is loaded with meaning. Indeed, it is in the very minutiae of
life that he obsessively focuses on, Everything is a cipher and of everything he
is the theme.
On the other hand, the unnamed parents live in a world where
nothing has meaning. They have never integrated into American
society...
An innocuous enough short story upon first reading but its implications are quite daring once the story has been explored.
An online copy of Nabokov's work can be found here.