Alex Lentz
ENG 131.01
Professor Lucas
12-7-16
The Widows Transformation
In the last chapter of the book John Crows Devil by Marlon James. The excerpt shows the image and well being of power. The quote “As the wind whipped itself up and her dress blew like waves, the widow raised her right hand and pointed two fingers” can be seen as a very puzzling quote. The actions in this quote have me believing that this is an iconic image in the book. The widow in this quote is doing this as a way to show victory. The widow has gone through redemption as well as being rescued and now she is a symbol of hope that is depicted for other people.
In the text it says “She was dressed in a long, light blue dress and men’s work boots laced up to her calves. She wore a wide straw hat that blocked the glare of the sun, but not the view of her face.” (206) which is not sensing of why the widow was wearing men’s work boots but the only thing that the widow wore them for could be an image of authority and power which is related to symbolism. In the text it also mentions the widow was wearing the color light blue, and that color has been known to calm people down. So the widow could be seen as someone who could regain some ones composure. Earlier in the book the widow wore a black dress which is interesting in a sense that the widow shows change. Colors do have an effect on people and how people look at things, for example the color red reminding us of blood and heat and evil and the color blue looked at as peaceful thoughts.
The quote “The dove flew and they followed his flight, running along Brillo Road until they came to the fence, which was covered in greenery. The river roared as the bird flew over to the other side. Through the spaces between leaves they saw the other side as well. They saw judgement and redemption, rescue and damnation, despair and hope.” (205) This quote could go for people who are in search for hope in their lives. Because the dove does eventually find the being with hope (the widow) through out its journey of flying. The bird could also be portrayed as a follower to someone who has power. Maybe the bird has been searching for hope and redemption throughout its life and now it has finally found it.
The widow is a symbol of hope and transitioning.
People do go through amounts of hard times but it just depends on how much you can bear. For example people may suffer their whole life and they just want a glimpse or sample of hope to know that their future could possibly get better. Sometimes people get tired of fighting and they start to give up on things because it can be so overwhelming. People will look for an idol just to have a positive outlook, and the widow at the very end of the story could be interpreted as a person who offers that type of help. The widow could be trying to bury the pain and show that she is not weak at all.
Works Cited
“Color Psychology” http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html
“John Crows Devil” Marlon, James.
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