The Brief Reign of Phil, Essay Example

The purpose of the novella is to put across the idea of peaceful coexistence. In writing this novella, the author’s intention was to put into context the idea of coexistence and show the importance of peaceful co-existence among neighbors. Peaceful co-existence requires that there is order, and mutual respect between the participants and this is depicted in the novella by the ultimate desire of both the inner Horner and the outer Horner. Although there are instances where such coexistence is compromised in this novella, its main purpose is to highlight the essence of peaceful co-existence. Additionally, the novella is packed with lessons for the reader. Among the lessons to be learnt from the novella are that justice will always prevail. The novella also puts across the lesson that people will always strive for liberation. The author puts across this aspect and the development of the plot in the novella aims at the liberation of the inner Horner. According to Saunders the truth leant from this novella is that leaders are bound to abuse their powers and as a consequence the weak shall be oppressed (108). In addition, the novella highlights the uniqueness and dissimilarity of individuals within the community, but despite these differences it is still possible to co-exist. The novella acknowledges the diversity of the characters and attaches diversity of character in bringing out the players in the novellas plot.

The author employs symbolism in presenting the story in the novella and these symbols take the form of characters in the novel that show characteristics similar to that of humans. However, these characters are inanimate and as such employ symbolism. One of the characters as portrayed by the author take the form of a belt buckle with a blue dot affixed to it. Another prominent symbol employed in the novella is that of Phil’s brain, which is attached to a sliding rack and it keeps falling out (Saunders 56). This symbol represents the manipulation of the decisions of the leaders by external factors, which are represented in the novella by excitement which often results in the brain falling out whenever Phil is excited. It is also apparent that whenever a character differs from the ideologies of the leader who in this case is Phil the character is dismantled. Dismantling, in this case, symbolizes removal from a position of authority of anyone who disagrees with ideologies of leaders in the real world. This symbolism is further supported by dismantling members in public which is done in the novella. This public show can be equated to publicly removing a leader or an officer in a higher office and publicizing this act by the use of the media channels in the real world.

The novella actively employs the use of allegory. Allegory in respect to literary works like Sanders’ novella use characters in representing and symbolizing concepts and ideas. The use of allegory assists in the elaboration of ideas and concepts since allegory allows a detailed characterization of these ideas and concepts. Allegory also allows the storyline in the novella, and other similar works to have a logical transition as the basis of these ideas and concepts are addressed through the assignment of symbols that are representative. The use of allegory in the novella is a highly effective way of developing ideas and concepts. This feature allows the author to employ imagination in the development of the plot in the novella. Imagination is closely related to allegory, and when the two are used together, the outcome is an excellent work such as the work in the current novella. The author uses allegory in the novella by imaginatively using the characters to symbolize ideas and concepts. The use of allegory here adds a twist in the novella by concealing the intended message through the use of imagery and symbolic features. The novella uses this concept of allegory in most of its work, and an instance is where the outer Horner is invaded by the Greater Keller. The greater Keller in this regard represents the international community who intervene whenever there is oppression of abuse of power. The greater Keller is portrayed as a nation with freakishly tall folks scare goons and brings liberation. This can be interpreted to imply the international organizations such as the United Nations whose powers are greater compared to that of single nations and whose main agenda is to maintain peace which is similar to scaring off goons. In this case, allegory plays an extremely vital role in juxtaposing the characters in the novella to the real world ideas and concepts. This idea is also imperative in putting across ideas in a simple manner that connects to the plot of the story while putting across the intended message.

The author ultimately succeeded in setting out the intended purpose of the allegory. Bearing in mind that the purpose of the author in the novella is to bring out the idea of peaceful coexistence it is evident from the work that the author achieves this goal. The author achieves this by developing the story in a chronological order by first introducing the characters whose characteristics symbolize ideas and concepts in the real world. The story then develops into a state of abuse of power by leaders which is depicted by Phil and his actions. In this regard, the author goes ahead to show consequences of such abuse and concludes with a resolution of the problem (98). In this development, the author begins the novella in a state of peaceful coexistence between the inner Horner and the outer Horner and develops the characters of the plot at the initial stages of the novella. Although peaceful co-existence exists, it does not last for long due to the abuse of power by Phil. Consequently the author highlights the deteriorating situation of members within the country and thus the necessity to restore peaceful coexistence, which is achieved in the end. The manner in which the allegory was set out in the novella is highly effective as the allegory used can be easily interpreted and applied in the real world. The development of plot in the novella also follows a logical order which allows the story to develop consistently and provides smooth transitions between the concepts used by the author. In addition, the logical order in which the story is presented allows for the achievement of the purpose of the novella. Although the approach taken by the author is unorthodox, the use of symbolism and allegory are effective and thus results in the success of the author’s purpose. This effectiveness is clearly seen in the resolution of the tale where the creator reassures the citizens of happiness, freedom from fear and self-worth.

Work cited

Saunders G. The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil. Penguin Group US, 2005. Print.