Tin Man

Van Gogh’s famous painting of sunflowers becomes a motif that reflects The Search for Identity and Belonging. Throughout the novel, several different characters perceive the painting as a symbol of escaping their current lives and creating a better one. This trend begins with Dora, who sees the painting as a reflection of her own desires to change her life for the better. As the narrative states, “The painting was as conspicuous as a newly installed window, but one that looked out onto a life of color and imagination, far away from the gray factory dawn and in stark contrast to the brown curtains and brown carpet, both chosen by a man to hide the dirt” (5). The imagery in this description of the painting reflects its status as a hopeful window in the dreary prison of Dora’s life. It offers a different view and enlivens her home as well, bringing color to a room in which she does not fit, designed as it was by the pragmatic, indifferent man whom she chose to marry. When Dora wants to contemplate what her life could be if she had the freedom she craves, she looks at the painting and tries to find herself in it.