Food Symbol Analysis

The food at Miss Marsalles’s parties symbolizes Miss Marsalles’s her steady, unchanging nature. Recalling past recitals, the narrator remembers that food has always been an important component of Miss Marsalles’s parties, and the food is often the same—sandwiches and ice cream—every year. The food that Miss Marsalles serves her guests is as consistent as the other traditions of her parties, such as the gift-giving ceremony, exemplifying Miss Marsalles’s remarkable commitment to tradition. The food also signifies Miss Marsalles’s eagerness to take care of her guests. Miss Marsalles persists in her annual traditions and her generosity toward others even when her circumstances in life are deteriorating. At the present-day party in the second half of “Dance of the Happy Shades,” she puts out an elaborate spread of food even though she doesn’t have the same financial means that she used to have. She still wants to be a good host and provide for her guests. Despite her impoverishment, her selfless goodwill persists. At the same time, though, the food at her parties used to be appealing to the narrator, but because Miss Marsalles can no longer afford to have somebody else make the food, it is now repulsive—there are flies crawling all over it, and this enhances the narrator and her mother’s feelings of superiority over Miss Marsalles. The poor quality of the food thus comes to symbolize Miss Marsalles’s diminished social value, even if the presence of the food illustrates—on a broader level—Miss Marsalles’s good-natured commitment to providing nice things for her guests.