Discussion Topic
Themes and Symbols in Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Summary:
Key themes in Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs include mental illness, dysfunctional family dynamics, and the search for identity. Symbols such as the swan boat, which represents escape and freedom, and the Christmas tree, symbolizing unconventional family traditions, help illustrate these themes.
What are the themes and symbols in Running with Scissors?
Themes of abandonment and neglect run throughout the memoir Running with Scissors. Burroughs frequently finds himself in situations where his biological parents are absent, despite the clean, cookie-cutter appearance of the family. At one point in his childhood, he is taken out of his home and separated from his family due to the disintegration of the family unit. Even in this new home, his situation is not improved whatsoever. He is isolated from a traditional upbringing and raised in an unclean, unsupervised environment. Just as he himself has been abandoned, he witnesses the death of the family pets in his new “home” due purely to neglect, while the excuse of a falsified disease is offered as an emotional deflection.
Another theme that abounds in Running with Scissors is dysfunctional sexual relationships. Both Burroughs and his mother are gay, but neither seek out or are introduced to modes of positive...
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sexual expression. Despite coming to terms with their homosexuality, there is nocatharsis reached as a result. His mother frequently exhibits psychotic breakdowns and carries on rather public lesbian affairs, which in turn reinforces the theme of abandonment of her children. Burroughs himself experiences attempted sexual assaults from men in his home, which causes increasingly tortuous experiences of his own sexuality.
As in the title, the symbol of scissors is used to illustrate the duality between a constructive tool (scissors) and a weapon. The symbol of the scissors itself is not violent, but the act of running with them shows us the potential for violence based on the inherent risk of an unstable life. Scissors are a symbol for sexuality as viewed in the larger context of this novel.
Theme and symbolism are two very different things.
The theme of a piece of literature is what it is all about, the "central and dominating idea." Since this book is an autobiography, there's a pretty good chance that the theme is the story of the life of Augusten Burroughs. To state it better, though, Magill's Literary Annual states of this book, "Running with Scissors is an outstanding example of the abuses that can and do go on in homes in this society unbeknownst even to the neighbors."
Symbolism is the use of images to represent an idea or emotion or concept. It may also include giving special, symbolic meaning to an object or idea. One example of symbolism in this book is the title: "running with scissors" symbolizes the neglect and danger Burroughs faced in his childhood.