Fire!

       This week, fire played a big role in our class discussion of The Glass Castle as we discussed its many symbolic resonances. What stood out to me the most, however, is the realization that not only does fire symbolize destruction and chaos, but it also can be used to represent rebirth and renewal. This is shown in how one of Jeanette's first internships shortly after starting a new life in New York "was at The Phoenix" (Walls 248). The phoenix is a bird derived from Greek mythology that is said to burst into flames at death, then be reborn from the ashes. While it may be purely a coincidence (maybe Jeanette really did intern at a newspaper place named after a symbolic bird), I found it to be fascinating. Jeanette manages to escape her life of poverty to start anew, almost being born again as a totally different person.
       It's strange to think about this- fire, a source of potential destruction, helping to renew. Where would an idea like this even come from? The answer to this question, as I find that most answers do, comes from science. Volcanos to be exact. According to Oregon State University, when a volcano erupts in an explosion of fire, most of the plants around it are burned down. However, the volcanic ash mixed with the soil is very rich, which allows the plants to come back healthier than ever. Almost as if they had been reborn.
       I spend a lot of time thinking about the idea of fire figuratively destroying your past, allowing you to start over. That's when I went on tumblr to take a break- and I ended up finding the perfect (in my mind, at least) example of rebirth by fire: The Walking Dead. I guess procrastination isn't always a bad thing. In the clip from one of my favorite episodes, conveniently located above this post, two characters, Beth and Daryl, burn down a house. Daryl, having been abused as a child and raised by his drug addict brother, has a terrible past, one that he has had trouble moving on from. As the two survivors burn down a house that reminded Daryl of his childhood home, lighting money that symbolizes his past of poverty and theft, Daryl is allowed to start anew. He lets go of his past and embraces his new life, a life in which he has a purpose, in which he can be good.