The Thorny Road Of Honor

In the late 1850s, change was a revolutionary concept. Life was changing at a more rapid pace than ever, with unimaginable concepts and technological advances. During this period of time, Hans Christian Andersen wrote “The Thorny Road of Honor,” a short story that goes through the lives of great people who influenced history, only to be persecuted and called many different things for it. Throughout this narrative by the author, many examples of key figures in history are used to show that although we view them as successful, those people were ridiculed and had very harsh lives with the society around them. In “The Thorny Road of Honor,” Andersen uses simile to make connections, imagery to create a picture in the minds of the reader, and symbolism throughout the essay in order to tie all the hardships faced by those we view as historical successes together.
Andersen uses a simile to illustrate the connection between what he will discuss and the metaphorical path they will cross. As he introduces the subject which he is discussing, the author makes it very clear that his purpose is to show how this …show more content…
He uses this idea of “thorny road of honor” in every reference to a story that he tells. “One picture after another comes crowding on; the thorny path of honor and of fame is over-filled” (4). The author connects all of his ideas together with the constant use of the phrase “thorny path of honor” which describes the rough path that all of these great discoverers have encountered throughout their lives of success. The “path” these people take is not traveled by many and leads to persecution by almost everyone in society. By doing this, the author connects each historical persecution with his main theme, which is the backlash that is faced as a result of people disliking change in their thinking and even