Presentation for "The Twelve"

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Symbolism

A very powerful part of Patons writing is symbolism. He often uses the land to symbolize various situations. The most common would be the low land and the high land. 

In book 1, Paton goes into great detail about the land. He explains the difference between the mountains and the valley. The major symbolism here is the separation of the people. The people lived very different lives. The whites were always one up of the natives. The whites placed themselves on a high horse, which is also symbolic of the placement of the land. The whites lived up on a cloud, while the natives lived in the dark valley. The whites had dug a deep hole for the natives that just kept getting deeper. They weren't looking to help them, as long as they stayed away. 

The mountains/highlands symbolize the happiness of the whites. The rich land up there symbolizes the rich white people. The whites put themselves on a pedestal  and think they are so much better than the natives. That is why they made their residency on top of the mountains. They are also above ground to symbolize how they believed themselves to me above human. The higher land is closer to where the gods are generally associated. The land was very well and cared for just like the white people. The white people are able to live their happy lives segregated from the natives. The destination of the lands being separate shows that the whites and natives weren't together and didn't often crosseach others  paths. They lived very segregated, different lives. The  wealthy whites lived on the upper ground. This symbolizes that the whites were above the natives. 

On the other hand, the valley symbolizes the poor, native area of the land. The whites degraded the natives and made them feel lower than human, which is why they were in a valley and not on normal ground. The valley also symbolizes how the natives are less than human to the whites. There is no middle ground. Paton says that "Too many cattle feed upon the grass." The land of the natives is very overpopulated and can not take proper care of its people. The destruction of the land also symbolizes the destruction of the people. At one time, the land was great and cared for, but then the people destroyed it. "Destroy it and man is destroyed." The men are no longer taking care of the land, or their people.

There are often other times in the novel when the land is used symbolically, but not in such a predominant way. The land always reflects what is going on around the characters. Such as when Paton says the "sun pours down on the earth, but man can not enjoy it." Paton uses the land to show that good things are happening, we just sometimes get blindsided by the negatives, and don't take the time to look around and see all the good. 

Paton uses strong symbolism in his novel. The land plays a huge part in the story as a whole. Paton uses the land to symbolize the people living there.