Crane's Use of Ironic Symbolism in The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky

A detailed Summary of Crane's Use of Ironic Symbolism in The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky

Crane's Use of Ironic Symbolism in "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"

Stephen Crane's "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," as well as his other Western stories, owe much to Mark Twain's approach to the West. According to Eric Solomon, "both authors...used humor to comment on the flaws of traditional fictional processes" (237). While employing parody of the Western literary tradition, Crane also uses realism to depict the influence of the East on the West. In "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky," Stephen Crane uses symbolism to develop his study of the changes effected on the West and the roles of its inhabitants by the encroachment of eastern society.

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is a parable of the East's invasion of the West through role changes in a small western town. This invasion is perfectly illustrated in the first setting. Crane writes, "The great Pullman was whirling onward with such dignity of motion that a glance from the window seemed simply to prove that the plains of Texas were pouring eastward" (401). This, the first sentence of the story, "fixes the sensation of a train ride through a kinesthetic detail, and that detail also supplies a theme that the rest of the story will develop" (Bergon 95). The Pullman train is

Solomon, Eric. Stephen Crane: From Parody to Realism.

terrified as he rages up and down the street. Scratchy is, however, almost comical in his decorative shirt and fancy boots. Though he isn't conscious of it, these are a symbol of the East's encroachment on Scratchy. His shirt was "made principally by some Jewish women on the east side of New York...and his boots had red tops with gilded imprints, of the kind beloved by little sledding boys on the hillsides of New England" (407).

Despite his comical appearance, Scratchy is still the terror of the town. He is "a wonder with a gun," "the last one of the old gang that used to hang out along the river," and "out for trouble" (Crane 405). Solomon describes him as "a living cliche of the Old West, a quick draw, a deadly shot, a rough with a heart of gold: in every way out-dated (254). His binges are "formulaic, and the formula depends upon Marshal Potter to bring the ceremony of shouting and shooting to a halt by engaging in a ritual fight with Scratchy" (Solomon 253).

contains all the necessary Western elements-- whisky, guns, barflies, and an all-knowing bartender. Crane places another sign of the encroaching east, a traveling salesman, in the bar to supply an observer to whom the local customs and roles can be explained. It is through the barkeep that we learn of the "customary epic drunks of Scratchy Wilson that disturb the dozing atmosphere" (Solomon 253).

Potter's "opposite, Scratchy Wilson cannot face his own two roles" (Solomon 252). Where Potter has realized and is attempting to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Yellow Sky, Scratchy Scratchy, Marshal Potter, Saloon Solomon, Scratchy Wilson, Eric Solomon, East Marshall, Stephen Crane, yellow sky, Potter's Eastern, Potter Marshal, bride comes, comes yellow, bride comes yellow, comes yellow sky, solomon 252 potter, solomon 252, 252 potter, jack potter, solomon 253, stephen crane, scratchy wilson, stephen crane's, stephen crane's bride, crane's bride comes,

Approximate Word count = 1049
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English