“Signs and Symbols” of the Holocaust Anonymous College

Vladimir Nabokov’s “Signs and Symbols” follows an elderly Jewish couple on the day of their institutionalized son’s birthday. In three parts, Nabokov describes their wasted journey sanatorium, where they could neither see their son nor deliver his present, and back home until midnight. The short story is filled with imagery of victims and the theme of failure. Nabokov’s defines failure as being unable to reach others, either physically or emotionally, shown mainly in the way the elderly couple cannot connect with their son in either way. The theme of failure serves as a metaphor for survivor’s guilt, specifically of the survivors of the Holocaust. Though the story shows little evidence of connection to the Holocaust (minus the mention of Aunt Rosa), R.M. Brown’s article shows significant evidence that the clues in the story, disguised as signs and symbols, represent the plight of the Holocaust, not only on its victims, but its survivors.

The theme of hopelessness and failure to reach those in need is especially evident on the couple’s journey home from the sanatorium in Part I. After being unable to reach their son, the woman sees “a tiny half-dead unfledged bird helplessly twitching in a puddle” at the bus stop (599). The...