A Clash of Cultures: Symbolism in "The Lesson" In the beginning of "The Lesson" the narrator fits into no adult society. She is unaware of the relative poverty that she and all her friends are living in; she does not understand her place in her own society. "The Lesson" uses symbols – specifically Miss Morre as a representation of the proud poor culture, the toy doll as a representation of rich society, and the taxi ride …showed first 75 words of 498 total…

…showed last 75 words of 498 total…through an important step in the process of maturation, realizing one’s place in society, through the use of symbols. After seeing the contrast of needless waste with her own neighborhood, she realizes that she is relatively poor and there is a great deal of people who live much differently then she does. This lesson, realizing that there are people different from oneself, is possibly the most important lesson there is to learn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**