The Theme Of Symbolism In Courage By James Grant

The short story “Courage” portrays the journey of a young British Soldier, James Grant, as he is airdropped into the wrong part France the day before D-Day. Grant has to hide himself from the German soldiers until he can reunite with his team and complete their mission. “Courage” shows its readers that sometimes the instruments supposed to aid in times of distress cause more trouble than they are actually worth. This theme actually presents itself in multiple parts of the story to the different characters and leaves behind a trail of misfortune in its wake. For example, James Grant’s warplane has the job to drop James in Normandy the day before D-Day so he can complete his mission. Warplanes symbolize both destruction and protection depending …show more content…
The Germans heard him go…Grant had hardly got into the woods when he heard the soldiers who were running after him all around, shouting to one another. They did not keep together, but each man went off by himself.” (Courage) The woods themselves represent the fear of becoming lost in something much bigger than oneself. Both parties see the woods as a symbol of demise for the other because it is void of light and full of confusing and ever disappearing pathways and try to use this fact against each other. The woods can also be seen as a parallel to the war because both war and nature itself are bigger than just humans themselves. War and nature are never ending cycles that humanity cannot escape no matter what the situation may …show more content…
As soon as Grant arrives at the Frenchwoman’s doorstep he begins his trail of misfortune and endangers her entire family by hiding their cupboard by her decision and command. In this case in particular, the wife is in charge of the situation and allows the British soldier into her home, despite what risks hiding him would cause, without consulting her husband. Once the German soldiers arrive to search for Grant it is obvious he will be found and that there will be major consequences to the wife’s actions. In a regular situation, the husband would have been the one to officially decide to hide the soldier which is why when they arrive, the Germans take the husband and kill him without asking whose idea it was to hide the enemy. But still she takes the soldier in again, “Once again the Englishman stood at the door of the farmhouse…She did not look towards he body of her husband which she had not dared to touch. She looked straight into the eyes of the young Englishman whose coming had made her a widow and made her children fatherless.” (Courage) The Frenchwoman shows courage throughout the entire story does what she believes is right in the situation in spite of the consequences making her the symbol behind courage in the