Symbolism in "Seven Floors" by Buzzati and “The Story of the Lizard Who Was in the Habit of Dining on his Wives” by Eduardo Galeano Anonymous College

Gene Tierney once said “when you have spent an important part of your life playing Let’s Pretend, it’s often easy to see symbolism where none exists”. The statement highlights how symbolism can be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It is a renowned literature aspect used by authors in an attempt to disguise the real meaning of certain objects, actions or events. Symbolism is a technique utilized when either a person, object, action, place, or event have a meaning that goes beyond its literal definition. “Seven Floors” by Dino Buzzati and “The Story of the Lizard who was in the Habit of Dining on His Wives” by Eduardo Galeano, both use symbolism in order to criticize habits of our society, namely the gender stereotypes in a relationship and the ineffectiveness of health institutions to improve its patients’ state.

Author Dino Buzzati uses a seven-floor hospital in which Giovani Corte attends as the story's main literary symbol. The reason this can be identified as the main symbolism is due to the weight that the number seven carries throughout the plot. One of them is the story in Genesis 1 that describes how God created life in seven days. First, “God created the heavens and the earth”, followed by light, expanse, water,...