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What does "Fireflies in the Garden" by Robert Frost suggest about the limits of symbolism?
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"Fireflies in the Garden" by Robert Frost suggests that symbolism has inherent limits. Through the metaphor of fireflies mimicking stars, Frost illustrates that symbols can sometimes closely resemble what they represent, achieving a "star-like" quality. However, this resemblance is fleeting, as symbols "can't sustain the part," highlighting their inability to maintain lasting impact or equivalence to the real things they symbolize. Thus, symbols are ultimately transient and less effective than their real counterparts.
Robert Frost's poem "Fireflies in the Garden" is a brief but eminently clear commentary on the limits of symbolism. Frost uses fireflies as symbols which "emulate...real stars...(in) the upper skies". He notes that "though they were never equal stars in size, and they were never really stars at heart", they do at times actually "achieve...a very star-like start". The only problem is, unlike the real thing, fireflies "can't sustain the part".
Through this metaphor, Frost is saying that although symbols are quite effective at times, almost duplicating that which they stand for, their impact is limited, because they attain closeness to their subject for only a fleeting moment. Symbols cannot sustain their effectiveness for any length of time; their lustre quickly pales in the face of the real thing.
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