The Fly: Analytical Essay

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Mansfield’s use of Elements of Craft in The Fly Katherine Mansfield’s The Fly tells the tale of two gentlemen on their quest to be at ease with their son’s death. One of the gentlemen Woodifield meets the Boss in his office where they catch up on old times. Woodifield then starts to talk about how his wife and daughter went to see their son’s grave when they passed the bosses grave. In the story we learn that everybody deals with grief in his or her own way. Through analyzing symbolism, characterization, and narrative perspective, Mansfield develops this theme how people deal with grief. Mansfield’s use of symbolism in The Fly is crucial in demonstrating to the audience the theme of grief in the story. Although there is symbolism throughout the story, it is best scene at the end of the story when the Boss encounters the fly. Once Woodifield leaves the bosses office, the Boss then finds a fly in an ink jar and was struggling desperately to remain alive. The fly is symbolic in the story because it represents how the Boss battle’s with grief. In the beginning of the story, it is learned that the Boss is quite delicate especially around the subject of his son’s death. Anytime Woodifield starts to talk about how their son’s graves are near each other, “… the boss made no reply. Only a quiver in his eyelids showed that he heard” (Echoes 12, 275). As it is well known, a fly is quite delicate and struggles the same way that the Boss is struggling with the emotional grief of his sons passing. The effect of uncertainty towards how to deal with grief is very important when it comes to characterization. In this short story, there is a very important contrast when it comes to characterization; the two main characters, Woodifield and the Boss both cope with their grief on opposite sides of the spectrum. When the boss is showing Woodifield his new office décor, he
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