Windows and Symbolism

Dear Dead Beat,

I have read several short stories for class recently. Three of the five assigned had a window in them. What is the literary significance of a window?

Thank you,

Gretchen

Dear Gretchen,

Dead Beat usually introduces windows into his fiction so that his characters can escape.

Beyond that Dead Beat can only surmise that (unless the readings were themed) this was mere coincidence. Not that there cannot be a literary significance to a window but three out of five seems too high a statistic.

But what of the literary significance of the 'window'? Of course it acts as a metaphor. Remember if mentioned once the 'window' is an image, if mentioned more than once, it becomes a symbol.

So metaphor and symbolism. So much depends on the intent of the particular story. Windows provide a glimpse out into another world or a glimpse in. They separate with fragility one world from another. On a higher level they may separate chronos from kairos.

Windows are so much more interesting and enticing than walls, but they need walls to support them, to make them necessary.