This image reminds me of the short story, “A Rose for Emily,” written by William Faulkner. Illustrated in the image is a woman who is looking away from a clock while it’s glowing/beaming at her. In “A Rose for Emily,” Miss Emily struggled with the concept of time and letting go of the past. Time was something she desperately tried to take control of by carrying a time watch and not letting go of her deceased father. Miss Emily’s inability to leave the past connects with the image of the woman not looking at the glowing clock; as if she’s trying to ignore it by closing her eyes. By not physically looking at the clock, the woman doesn’t need to come into terms with reality and continue living in her “fantasy world,” similar to Miss Emily.

The symbolism of this open wound reminds me of the short story “The Country Doctor” by Franz Kafka. In “The Country Doctor” the open wound is a significant figure to the doctor. The doctor is checking out his patient and discovers a wound. He then describes the wound as “rose-red”. This is significant because of the specific use to describe the wound as “Rose” red. Rose is a character in the short story that the doctor left behind with an unknown man. The doctor was aware he left Rose in danger within the unknown man and starts to grow guilty. Rose created a burden in his mind and the instant he discovers the open wounded his first thought was Rose.

This image reminds me of the short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H Lawerence. Illustrated in the image is a woman who has money all around her. The money all around her represents that she is run by money; her world surrounded by the concept of money. This is similar to the mother in “The Rocking-Horse Winner”. The mother is run by the idea of money and is the only thing she craves more. She constantly states that there is not enough money and she wants more. Even though she is not necessarily poor, she is not rich in her eyes and she desperately desires to want more money.

In the short story “Sonny’s Blues” the character Sonny struggled with drug abused and put a huge emphasis on the “darkness” Harlem brings. The way only Sonny escaped this darkness was playing jazz music, more specifically the piano. When Sonny plays the piano he feels a sense of comfort and he is able to take a break from the real world and all the challenges life brings. This image elucidates the freedom Sonny feels because as illustrated, the individual playing the piano is the only individual that is not a black silhouette in the back; standing out from the “darkness” where Sonny can only focus on himself. The “darkness” and challenges all blend in the background and for a few minutes, it feels like Sonny can finally freely express himself.