Symbols and Signs

In Vladmir Nabokov's "Symbols and Signs," the author utilizes a sophisticated diction as well as a solemn tone to convey to the readers the plight of immigrants in the world. A plight of trying to fit into a society different from their own while dealing with their own personal problems. The author doesn't try garner sympathy from the readers purely from the fact that they are immigrants, instead he introduces the married couple to the readers and their plight so that they sympathize with them from a human perspective instead of a social one. It is through this that the author shows readers the story's heart and humanity.

As the couple experience the "thunder and foul air of the subway, the last dregs of the day," the reader sympathizes with them through understanding them as people. People who have lost much in their lives but have remained together regardless, a testament that can appeal to a vast audience. A message conveyed through the story of how "living does mean accepting the loss of one joy after another," inspires the reader to both try and understand its meaning and to re-read the story with the message in mind.