Deer Hunt, Sunrise on the Veld, and Traveling Through Dark

Many species of animals are born knowing, that is to say that all the knowledge they will need to survive and reproduce is present with them when or even before they are born. Take the tiger shark for example, only one pup comes out alive from the womb. That lone pup developed first and then ate its unborn brothers and sisters in the womb. Even at that pre-birth age it still understands the concept of survival of the fittest, and will do anything to make sure that it's the one to leave the womb alive. Instincts like these come with the animal, there is nothing for it learn about the world, nothing in this world can change its perspective. We humans on the other hand, spend our whole lives learning things that we had no idea even existed and often we aren't even exposed to what is considered the "real world" until maybe our twenties. Sometimes it's not a gradual transition to maturity, but a defined moment that opens our eyes to what is really all around us. This is the case in the "Deer Hunt" by Judson Jerome, "Sunrise on the Veld" by Doris Lessing, and "Traveling Through the Dark" by William Stafford; the characters are put in positions where they feel societal pressures, realize the vulnerability of life, and have to assume some responsibility to make decisions. These pieces use the symbols of light and dark imagery to demonstrate that through certain experiences we attain knowledge that affects the way we view things in the world, including ourselves.

Symbolism is the way Jerome speaks to the audience in "Deer Hunt"; he uses it explains the emotional journey that the narrator undergoes in order to fit into society. Jerome demonstrates the evil temptations of society as a snake: "Would dull my ear to a snake whispering near the log I sat upon,"(Jerome 6-8). The snake is symbolic of the pressure that the narrator feels to act like the stereotypical male, and he feels compelled to go hunting with his friends even though it is against his beliefs. The whispering refers to the constant feeling that he is doing something wrong in the eyes of his friends and that he be will teased or treated poorly because he is not acting in the way that they expect him to. "Gripping once again the monstrous gun- since I, to be a man, had taken one"(Jerome 13-14). The taking of the gun in these lines is Jerome's way of telling the reader that as humans we often do give into societal pressures and in doing so we view ourselves differently. We don't view ourselves the same way again because once we give into the expectations of our peers we are no longer ourselves but a product of society.

The symbolism of illumination is prevalent in "Sunrise on the Veld" by Doris Lessing; and is used to demonstrate the phases of a boy's life through the changing times of a typical day. When the story begins, "It was night: the stars were glittering,

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