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The Lamp At Noon Analysis

Decent Essays

The story “The Lamp at Noon” by Sinclair Ross, the two main characters both struggle to survive in the dust storm with their baby. The setting is placed in prairies during the Great Depression. Moreover,the family owns a farm and Paul is struggling to maintain the farm because all the crops are destroyed by the dust storm. Sinclair Ross explores the symbols in his short story, The Lamp at Noon. For example, the lamp represents Ellen’s hope for the future of their marriage. The wind portrays their failing relationship between each other. Lastly, the land represents how Ellen and Paul feel deserted in their marriage. Although the short story “The Lamp at Noon” is about a failing farm, the symbols actually illustrate the hardships and struggle …show more content…

Ellen is a housewife and she is always by herself with the baby. While she waits for Paul for lunch she believes they are having an unstable relationship. In the beginning of the story, Ellen becomes lonely as she really wants to feel his arms supporting her. Ellen’s thoughts are shown through the wind when the author tells “At each blast of wind it shook as if to topple and spin hurtling with the dust fell into space” (Ross 64). The wind clearly embraces Ellen as she sees herself not with Paul in the future. She believes Paul and herself having an unstable rough relationship. She thinks that they should understand each other and have their relationship to see Paul coming for lunch she sees two different winds. Ellen views the winds to herself, the wind in fight images her desire to hold back her feelings but the wind that pursued makes her reflect about Paul’s attitude and decision which makes herself angry towards Paul causing their marriage to ruin. Lastly, as the conflict starts when the reader sees the light and shadow between them, Ellen and Paul begin an argument. Ellen believes that they should leave for their baby health but Paul suggests they should stay because it is safe to stay inside from the storm also that he can maintain the farm. Ellen and Paul fight which is causing them to become separate hatred between their relationship. During their argument, Ellen …show more content…

The land may seem the farm but it shows how Ellen that if she stays home isolated from Paul, their marriage will remain at a dead end. For example, Ellen is always stuck home isolated inside the house. She wishes to be with Paul and wants him to be near her but she is angry how he is always in the barn and not with her. Ellen feels depressed about what she is going through and she does not like how Paul is working too hard on the farm which isn’t worth for. The author proves Ellen seeing it by showing she’s isolated and the emptiness she feels without Paul by proving that their already having a bad relationship status. Next, as Ellen being isolated and seeing the farm a sombre void. Also, she thinks their marriage is not going to end well. Paul on the other side is confident and resilient about his farm and bring good crops back. Also, he believes in his marriage to continue and be strong than what Ellen thinks. During the two main characters, having a conflict between each other. Ellen believes nothing is going to come out from the farm during the dust storm. Even though, Paul believes they can and thinks they can get through and keep their marriage strong and not quit. Paul's thoughts are shown through the land when the reader recognize that “We’ll have crops again,” her persisted, “Good crops/the land will come back it’s worth waiting for.” (Ross 66). Paul clearly thinks

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