Bread
Bread, which characters share with one another throughout the story, symbolizes the reciprocal nature of generosity. Matryona spends the beginning of the story deliberating about whether to bake her family another loaf of bread or…
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Coats
Semyon and Matryona’s coats represent the idea that while selfishness may seem necessary and prudent, it is also destructive for both the person who needs help and the person who refuses to help. At…
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