Signs and Symbols by Vladimir Nabokov
Signs and Symbols is a painful short story about an elderly couple visiting their mentally ill son in an asylum. As it was written by a stereotypically somber Russian, the imagery surrounding the plot is excruciatingly dark as the characters fail to realise their love just isn’t enough to cure their son of his condition.
The plot is fairly simple; the couple wish to visit their son for his birthday but are told he has once again attempted to commit suicide, and they are no longer permitted to see him. On the walk home the father dwells on the idea of removing his son from of the asylum and caring for him at home, but things abruptly end upon arriving back at the apartment with a phone call from someone asking for ‘Charlie’. It is a mysterious ending where the reader is left to draw their own conclusion. Has the son successfully ended his life? Did he escape? Does the phone call actually have anything to do with the story?
The story portrays mental illness in a very modern way as Nabokov describes the son as a complex, tortured man with definite intelligence but an inability to determine what is reality and what is a delusion of grandeur. He writes sensitively as well as entertainingly while picking out the failings in the system for citizens with mental health issues. Obviously as an outsider himself having left his Russian homeland as a teenager, Nabokov beautifully illustrates the pain felt by the parents to see their child rejected by the world.
There is not much positivity to be had here but it is a wonderful piece that tells of the unfairness felt by outsiders and the curse of unconditional love. You can read the story for free by clicking here.
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