A_Synopsis_of_Lasting_Themes_Found_in_“The_Child_by_Tiger”

A Synopsis of Lasting Themes Found in “The Child by Tiger” A Synopsis of Lasting Themes Found in “The Child by Tiger” In Thomas Wolfe’s carefully constructed short story, “The Child by Tiger,” excerpts from William Blake’s poem “Tiger” and the King James Bible enrich the central themes of the plot. Although “The Child by Tiger” is very cryptic in revealing its purpose, several important concepts may be inspected to aid the reader in discovering Wolfe’s meaning. The stirring first stanza of “Tiger,” chosen by Wolfe to precede his story, braces the reader for the darker imagery to follow. The vivid words of Blake’s poem are put to work as underlying themes in “The Child by Tiger,” including images of darkness, shadows, fear, and the fire-like burn of the tiger’s eye that haunts the rest of the plot. It is in this imagery that perhaps Wolfe’s primary theme is founded: what is human nature and what are its capabilities for both good and evil' The character Dick Prosser is upon introduction a deeply religious, gentle, and multi-talented man. Almost immediately in the story, Wolfe begins a consistent reference to Dick as very cat-like in nature, drawing on his cunning prowess, speed, and agility. It can thus be chuld, dick, tiger, reader, wolfe, prosser, upon, story, poem, nature, human, character, blake’s, wolfe’s, very, themes, purpose, perhaps, one, first, darkness, both, bible, shadow, psalm, man, lasting, imagery, excerpt, dick’s, death, cryptic, again, william, thus, theme, symbolic, stanza, short, shadows, savagery, rather, question, primitive, possessed, plot, passage, own, over, once