Symbolism of God Father Death
Hunt 1 English 1020-502
Professor
4, October 2013
An Analysis of the Symbolism in Brothers Grimm
“Godfather Death”
In literature, symbolism is used to suggest an underlying meaning in a story. In the story of “Godfather Death,” a quite ironic title, the Grimm brothers used a multitude of symbols to convey the story’s moral value. The Grimm brothers used seven symbols in this story. All of them play a part in conveying the message that death cannot be defied, death is constant, and death is fair. The father in this story searches for a godfather for his thirteenth child, a son. The first person he comes to is God. He sees God as unfair and biased toward poor people. He states he does not want him as the godfather because he feels God does not disperse wealth equally; this stems from him being poor and having twelve and now a thirteenth child. As the father comes across the Devil as his next choice, he discredits the Devil by saying “you trick men and lead them astray” (Grimm 12). To speculate on this, the father may have had an experience with the devil himself, or his beliefs may stem from biblical readings. The next possible suitor is Death. The father accepts Death as the god father; Death treats all people equally and does not discriminate. Poor and rich alike are taken without biases by Death. The father thinks this is
Hunt 2 the one to be the godfather based on his own opinions of how good, evil, and death are represented.
There are several noteworthy symbols in this story. To begin with there is the thirteenth child. Thirteen has been for centuries marked as an unlucky number. Dating back to biblical times at the last supper, where twelve disciples and Jesus sat down to eat and Judas arose to betray Jesus (Guiley). Only twelve were bonded. Judas, because he betrayed Jesus represented sin, rebellion, and subsequently the number thirteen (Elev8). The father may have been stricken with
Professor
4, October 2013
An Analysis of the Symbolism in Brothers Grimm
“Godfather Death”
In literature, symbolism is used to suggest an underlying meaning in a story. In the story of “Godfather Death,” a quite ironic title, the Grimm brothers used a multitude of symbols to convey the story’s moral value. The Grimm brothers used seven symbols in this story. All of them play a part in conveying the message that death cannot be defied, death is constant, and death is fair. The father in this story searches for a godfather for his thirteenth child, a son. The first person he comes to is God. He sees God as unfair and biased toward poor people. He states he does not want him as the godfather because he feels God does not disperse wealth equally; this stems from him being poor and having twelve and now a thirteenth child. As the father comes across the Devil as his next choice, he discredits the Devil by saying “you trick men and lead them astray” (Grimm 12). To speculate on this, the father may have had an experience with the devil himself, or his beliefs may stem from biblical readings. The next possible suitor is Death. The father accepts Death as the god father; Death treats all people equally and does not discriminate. Poor and rich alike are taken without biases by Death. The father thinks this is
Hunt 2 the one to be the godfather based on his own opinions of how good, evil, and death are represented.
There are several noteworthy symbols in this story. To begin with there is the thirteenth child. Thirteen has been for centuries marked as an unlucky number. Dating back to biblical times at the last supper, where twelve disciples and Jesus sat down to eat and Judas arose to betray Jesus (Guiley). Only twelve were bonded. Judas, because he betrayed Jesus represented sin, rebellion, and subsequently the number thirteen (Elev8). The father may have been stricken with
Cited: "Candle." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 15 Sep. 2013. . Crystal, Elle. "Candles, The Power of the Flame - Crystalinks." Candles, The Power of the Flame – Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2013 Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm 12 “Godfather Death” Literature an introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing.” 7th ed. Saddle River, New Jersey: 14 Sept. 2013 Elev8, News One. The Biblical Meaning of the Number 13. Proc. of Atlanta Daily World, Georgia, Atlanta. Atlanta Daily World, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 15 Sept. 2013 "Number 13 in Christianity." MysticalNumberscom. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.