Symbolism In John Mistos 'The Shoe Horn Sonata'

Distinctively visual images perceived in the mind of the reader and audience respectively as it will have a positive or negative affect upon their understanding of the text. John Mistos ‘The Shoe Horn Sonata’, leaves the audience vulnerable and open to their own personal perception and unconsciously make a judgement upon the text. His purpose for this play was to make Australians aware of the heroism of the nurses in the Fall of Singapore in WWII. He believed that it was disgraceful that, fifty years after that war had ended, Australia had still not set up any memorial to its army nurses, even though many of the Australian troops owed their lives to their care. “Vergissmeinnicht” by Keith Douglas has an off-putting, eerie atmosphere that is …show more content…
Music plays such an important role in the play, and the title of the text ‘Sonata’, meaning a piece for two musical instruments, or voices representing instruments; the partnership between Bridie and Sheila constitutes a sonata. Their music was a symbol of hope and joy and bought happiness to the other prisoners. They sang when they were in the huts at night or digging graves ‘So the camp would know there was still music left’. Symbolism is used to show they are still clinging on to life, just as the shoehorn is a symbol of their strength and will. Misto uses as a healing agent between the prisoners of war in the camps; it’s of significance as the women use music to lift their spirits and reinforce their unity during their imprisonment. As well as this, it also helps support the photographs that are shown throughout the play. It helps create the atmosphere as many of the songs are used ironically to build tension whilst exposing the horrors experienced during captivity. He has used excerpts from more than a dozen songs such as ‘The Blue Danube Waltz’ and “Danny Boy’. It is Mistos purpose to use multimedia, such as music, to underpin the narrative, to build tension and to heighten the distinctively visual elements in order for the audience to engage using their …show more content…
He uses symbolism, using the suitcase, to create tension in the scene. As they start to unpack and unload the suitcase, as do Bridie and Shelia, sharing stories of the war time and in this, the truth comes out. The syntactical sentence structure within the scene “No, no… Don’t! I don’t want to hear this!” illustrates the shock that Bridie is experiencing as Shelia has unveiled the truth of her survival in the camp. At first Bridie she is shocked, however, with time her perspective of her shifts and she sees that she did this as an act of heroism and to rescued her from her death. She gives her virginity to the Japanese soldiers highlighting her loyalty and friendship. This evokes a sense of despair in the audience, sharing emotion with Shelia in the scene. Ultimately, Misto uses distinctively visual images in this scene to highlight the heroism, loyalty and friendship between Bridie and Shelia, that war itself has