46 pages • 1 hour read
Sabbath's Theater
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Symbols & Motifs
The Gold Star
The gold star in Sabbath’s childhood window is a motif that reflects The Power of Loss and Grief. The gold star is meant to signify a family that lost a loved one in the war. It is meant to honor their sacrifice and commitment but Sabbath sees it as something else: “We were one of those families with a gold star in the window. It meant that not only was my brother dead, my mother was dead” (144). To Sabbath, this symbol of honor is a dark reminder of the grief his family suffers, and that this gold signifies nothing bright and hopeful, but rather reflects the dark tragedy of the loss of his brother and the dissolution of his mother. The pressure the gold star brings and the constant reminder of these losses drives Sabbath out of the house: “Maybe that’s why I went to sea, to get the fuck away from the gold star. The gold star said, ‘People have suffered something terrible in this house.’ The house with the gold star was a blighted house” (144). Once again, there is a contradiction between the appearance of the gold star and the meaning behind it. Gold is associated with wealth and happiness, and the star is a symbol of respect and honor, but for Sabbath, it signifies tragedy and he believes that others now view his family and home as broken and sick, suffering from the loss of Morty.
Puppets
The puppets and marionettes are a motif that reflects Sabbath’s perception of Desire as a Guiding Force. Sabbath is someone who uses desire as a compass in life and believes that by doing so he is unburdened and unrestricted. He views others who live differently as limited and laments not only the time he spends in a limiting marriage but also the loss of the freedom he had at sea when he was younger. His perception of the difference between puppets and marionettes further demonstrates his beliefs: “Puppets can fly, levitate, twirl, but only people and marionettes are confined to running and walking. That’s why marionettes always bored him: all; that walking they were always doing up and down the tiny stage, as though […] walking were the major theme of life” (244). In Sabbath’s mind, puppets have unlimited potential, free from springs with the ability to do anything. His attraction to puppets over marionettes captures his self-perception of being a free person, unconstrained by the strings of society and marriage that may prevent him from pursuing his desires. He dislikes marionettes for that exact reason, as they are controlled by and therefore limited by the strings pulled by another. These limitations make walking the point of the marionettes, and Sabbath refuses to walk through life, doing what he should and being a faithful husband in a radically unhappy marriage. Therefore, the puppets of Sabbath’s Theater are a direct representation of desire’s role in Sabbath’s life.
The American Flag Yarmulke
When Sabbath searches through the box of Morty’s belongings, he finds an American flag yarmulke that his brother wore during the war. The yarmulke is a symbol that represents the effort by the United States to blend all aspects of life into the war effort and adds an additional layer of tragedy to Morty’s death by suggesting the manipulative ways in which young men are recruited to fight. The yarmulke’s design is full of meaningful and patriotic symbolism that demonstrates the goal of uniting religion and patriotism: “Isosceles triangles of red, white, and blue satin, stitched together to make a yarmulke. White triangle at the front shows a V, below the V dot-dot-dot-dash-the Morse code for V. ‘God Bless America’ beneath that. A patriot’s yarmulke” (404). The yarmulke carries a design of the American flag, with red, white, and blue, and also carries the letter “V” in both plain script and Morse code. The “V” is a symbol of victory and is meant to demonstrate the United States’ commitment to victory. Every aspect of this yarmulke shows a means by which the army blends religion and patriotism into the singular goal of winning the war. It unites diverse identities under the umbrella of patriotism, and Sabbath sees it as a manipulative means to convince young men to fight for their country. The yarmulke makes Morty’s death all the more tragic, as it casts him as a young man used by his country, not for his innate talents as an athlete or kind, protective nature, but as a mere soldier.
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