in class

The theme of escape is present in both nineteen thirty-seven and a wall of fire rising.  In both of these stories escape is one of the main themes.  In the first story it is shown through the mother shown through the mother who is put in jail for having "wings of fire".  These wings of fire are being used to represent when she escaped the river during the massacre she was covered in blood and it makes it look like she has wings of fire which she was believed to have used to escape the massacre.  Then the idea of flying is the mothers escape from her suffering in jail where she was beaten, starved, and tortured. she uses this to show that the only true escape for the mother was death.  Then in the second story, the theme of escape is symbolized by the hot air balloon.  The hot air ballon is Guy's escape from his reality.  it is something that makes him happy.  One day he eventully steals it and flys it.  This was high point in life when he realizes that he has to go back to reality and go to jail he decided that his only way to escape his suffering was to jump out and kill himself.  These were the two theme of each of the stories.