The Miracle Worker - Significant Symbols
Uploaded by Gotskillz on May 05, 2004
Symbolism is frequently employed during major sequences in Penn’s motion picture and Gibson’s written play of The Miracle Worker. The many different symbols used throughout the play signify Helen Keller’s distinctiveness. Specific symbols include, the water and the well, the key, the dolls, as well as the dog, and the baby crib.
From the start of the play, Helen silently lies in a prison-like baby crib, with the doctor, and Mr. and Mrs. Keller presiding over her and discussing her future. When Kate Keller snaps her fingers in Helen’s direction and receives no response, she immediately realizes that Helen is a mute baby. The bars that enclose the baby in the crib clearly demonstrate Helen’s captivity and that she is, even as a baby, locked away from human contact due to her disability.
Later in the play, Helen is recurrently seen petting the dog or affectionately embracing it. Their bond is a display of their common uniqueness. Like the dog, Helen is a family pet because of her illnesses. Similar to a dog, Helen is habitually attention hungry. Her parents, however, only give into Helen’s need for attention, if they want to “play” with her at the moment, like they would with a dog. The best example of symbolism between the dog and Helen is shown at the dinner table. Like a dog would, Helen is commonly seen eating leftovers on other people’s plates. After being barred from her parents for two weeks, and under the direct supervision and care of Annie Sullivan, Helen’s demeanor drastically changes from that of an uncontrollable dog to an obedient one. She throws fewer tantrums, follows multiple commands that she wouldn’t have earlier, and eats when told to.
As family members discuss Helen’s future, Helen frantically walks around the living room. While sauntering around the room, Helen vigorously strokes the head of a shapeless towel doll, constantly searching for the doll’s missing eyes. Later in the scene, Helen steals two buttons from Aunt Ev and tries to jam them into the head of the doll. The doll represents Helen and her blindness. Helen wants the doll to have eyes so it can see, just as she wants to see herself.
During Helen’s two weeks stay with Annie Sullivan, in a secluded cottage, another doll represents Helen. After countless times of failing to reach Helen during the two-week span, Annie Sullivan strangles the doll that...