Strange News from another Star is found to be a story which contains numerous symbols which in many cases contain some important, abstract information. Symbolism is something which is very difficult to explain due to the fact that not everyone sees the so mentioned symbol. They don’t quite see it as you, because no two minds are the same, which implies the fact that they don’t react equally to something which must be internally interpreted as it is not present as mere information. On this essay I will try to back up with concise words, why I believe that something is representing something abstract, as well as with information from the author.

One of the first symbols that we may find, is actually the star. A star is known as a gaseous sphere, which with nuclear fusion and fission may actually give out huge amounts of energy. Obviously a star is a inhospitable place, so I believe that the star actually represents a planet or a country.

The flowers, which have a very important part in the plot of the book are a symbol as well. They, have always, as least as far as I know, had a special message. A message of love, tranquillity, joy and they represent the harmony of nature itself. In the first stage of the book, we may see how a problem, the earthquake, has made the people in the star loose a vast amount of flowers. They lost some of the tranquillity and joy that had invaded their lives. And when they look for a messenger to go find flowers, they’re talking about re-finding the tranquillity and lack of fear that they wanted.

I believe that the burials, actually represent life. It may sound a bit peculiar, but in real life once you get accustomed to living a happy, joyful life, you then will not be able to live without it and so, you will need to do practically anything, as the people in the star did, to find the “flowers”.

The symbol of the deity that the youth saw in the temple, I understand that by the way in which the story progresses the symbol is actually representing the fact that war, or trouble (the bird of prey) destroys all happiness or good hearted feelings. I think that the representation is what I mentioned above, because when the messenger “goes” to the foreign star he sees destruction and a total lack of joy.

We may find another symbol which goes from pages 55-59. It’s the conversation that the youth holds with the king who’s nation is in war. It’s apparently a symbol because even-though it has important, concrete information for the story, there’s more to the phrases themselves. They can be abstracted and that’s when I see that the conversation is actually trying to explain the way in which the humanity is being erratic by trying to find happiness. To achieve happiness, you must first get rid of sadness, poverty, trouble, etc (war is the symbol used to represent all of them). It may not be found just by ignoring the others. In the king’s star they weren’t happy because all of the nouns mentioned above were present. A proof of that may be the fact that when trouble, the earthquake, arouse in the province of the youth then they lost the peace and tranquillity, represented by the flowers that they had had.

And ultimately I will mention the symbol which the black bird represents, it’s what I believe is the image of the harshness, horror and terror of war. Which may reach such levels of futility that it may apparently only be seen as a dream, or even more correct, would be to say that it’s like a nightmare.