The True Meaning

Authors note: This is my finial piece. I was looking for symbolism in the story Ribbons by Laurence Yep. I was also trying to get a 10 on body paragraph.

How would you feel moving half way around the world? In the story Ribbons by Laurence Yep, an ordinary American family make their Chinese grandmother move to America. Little did they know that she is stuck in her Chinese ways. For this reason the two cultures collided, causing a catastrophe in a regular house. The colorful life of the main character in the story Ribbons by Laurence Yep, uses symbolism to bring her family together.

“When I saw those ribbons, I didn’t want you feeling pain like I do.” With this one line you can already tell how the grandmother feels about the ribbons, pain and misery. This is because of her scaring childhood with foot binding. While on the other hand, for the daughter, she sees something she loves. Ribbons are necessary for ballet. So now the grandmother freaks out and takes them away because she thinks she is saving her feet. When really there is just one big misunderstanding.

Despite the misunderstandings, there were many sign showing that their relationship was growing. When reading a story to her little brother, the character was having problems just like the grandmother did. This story symbolized the grandmothers’ life and because the daughter was reading it, she began to get her. Another thing that brought them together was the very ribbons that started the problem. “Suddenly I felt as if there were an invisible ribbon binding us, tougher than silk and satin, stronger even than steel; and it joined her to Mom and Mom to me.”  This backs up the idea of them coming together as a family.

Besides the little kid story relating to the grandmother, the overall story relates to the tale The Trojan Horse by Virgil. The horse and the ribbons symbolize that everything is not what it seems. With the ribbons, one person thought it was evil and the other knew it was good. Once they talked it through the person that was jugging it without knowing then made everything clear. Then with horse, some people thought it was a gift and other thought it was a trap. After things played through, everything became clear. Over all the symbolism in Ribbons was like the symbolism in The Trojan Horse.

Symbolism is important and is included it almost every story. Ribbons by Laurence Yep show deep symbolism in small special items with semimetal value.  Next time you have a family problem, symbolism could help bring you two together as well.