Animal Symbolism Essay Example

Using animal symbols in novels can be very effective. They can be used to represent people and situations or to strengthen the main idea. Many of the characters in the book are compared to animals in D H Lawrence’s novel, The Virgin and the Gypsy. He uses animal symbolism and relates characters with an animal so that the reader understands the characteristics deeply and easily visualize the behavior of that specific character. Therefore, animal symbolism enriches the content of the book in many different ways.
Dog, wolf and toad are some of the animals used in the novel which are related to Leo, the Gypsy Lady and the Mater respectively. The Mater, in other words the Granny, is a typical snoopy old lady who wants everything to be under her control. She has an opinion about every single happening; she is like a “toad” catching every flying bug. The narrator describes her as follows “She was like the old toad which Yvette had watched, fascinated, as it sat on the ledge of the beehive, immediately in front of the little entrance by the bees emerged, and which, with a demonish lightning-like snap of its pursed jaws, caught every bee as it came out to launch into air, swallowed them one after the other as if it could consume the whole hivefull, into its aged, bulging, purse-like wrinkledness.” (25) Granny enjoys ruling and criticizing other people, as we can understand from the quote she is everywhere and Yvette hates the ways she behaves. Not a single “bug” in the house can survive her cruel “tongue”.
Wolves are known as cold, dangerous, sly-looking, wild animals. Relating a character to a wolf is simply saying that this person has the same cold and sly look and also that he/she can be dangerous. The narrator says “She was handsome in a bold, dark, long-faced way, just a bit wolfish.” (36) telling the gypsy woman. She is also described as a tall discrete looking lady that seems like she can reach out whatever she wants heartlessly. With a quick research I have