Symbolism in "The Chandelier"
by Jae H Shin

"The Chandelier," written by Gregory Orfalea, is a poignant yet powerful story about Mukhlis, a man from Lebanon , sacrificing his life to save his family during World War I, when Germans and their allies blockaded the harbor and leaving his city without food and water for nearly four years. Eventually, the situation becomes so desperate and unbearable that it forces young Mukhlis to search for food. Since the city is deprived of food and water, he finds nothing but a beautiful chandelier in the abandoned church. Mukhlis decides to trade the chandelier for bread and drags it to the neighboring city, Bekaa, in the dire winter of 1918. The chandelier, in the context of the story, symbolizes four things: the predicament of morality, the dual nature of humanity, physical and mental protection for Mukhlis, and hope.

The moral predicament refers to a situation when we reluctantly choose only one moral value among equally important moral values. The Mukhlis's situation presents us with two equally important moral values, namely preservation of life and maintenance of integrity and honor. Mukhlis is well aware of the fact that the chandelier's primary function is to shine light and glorify God, and that his act of stealing it from the church is nothing more than a blasphemy and desecration. The moral predicament is clear. If he decides to maintain his integrity and honor by not stealing the chandelier, then his whole family as well as himself would be the next victims of starvation. On the other hand, if he decides to save him and his family, then his integrity and honor would be the next victim of blasphemy. Mukhlis's choice of preservation of life over integrity is understandable, and it is probably a hard choice for him. He even states, "God never lets go. I yanked it out of His hands."

Along with the predicament of moral codes, the chandelier represents the dual nature of humanity. The human mind has an intriguing property. When it is placed under a hospitable situation, it tends to be rational, moral, and aesthetic. In contrast, when it is placed under a hostile situation, it shifts its mode of thinking to irrational, immoral and instinctual. For instance, before the war breaks out, Mukhlis admires the chandelier for its grandeur and beauty. He admits, "The chandelier was something I would worship. I would look up and its great shining light would say to me--God." However, when the situation becomes egregious, the object of worship turns into nothing but a source of food. His attitude towards the chandelier suddenly changes from admiration to desperation. Thus, the chandelier symbolizes the hypocrisy of human nature.

So far, it seems that the chandelier represents the dark side of humanity that we should be all ashamed of. However, there are positive symbols of the chandelier that eventually make us all proud of: physical and mental protection and hope. The chandelier is composed of precious elements such as gold and rubies, but when it is swung around with force, it can be a deadly weapon. In fact, Muhklis saves his life from the save wolves during his journey to Bekaa. The chandelier represents a shelter in which he can hide from the rest of the world. When he hides himself inside the chandelier, Mukhlis can feel a sense of security and control. Not only does the chandelier symbolize the physical protection, but it also represents the mental protection. Without the chandelier, Mukhlis may have gone insane and lost his hope to live. The chandelier is like a small boat that prevents Muhklis from falling into the deep ocean of insanity and hopelessness. He has something to hold onto so that his will to live and to save his family does not wither.

Speaking of which, hope is indestructible and makes impossible task possible. When I substituted the word "hope" for "chandelier" and reread the story, I nodded as a sign of understanding that the chandelier represents the humanity's indestructible hope and powerful spirit that guide us in the direst situation. Although Muhklis injures himself in the process of bringing the chandelier down, he manages to endure hardships on his way to Bekaa. Without eating and drinking for three days, carrying an extremely heavy chandelier seems impossible task, especially for young boy. Nevertheless, the chandelier provides the young boy with hope and assurance of survival, which are enough to motivate him and to make him do whatever necessary to survive. Germans and their allies' attempt to kill everybody fails because hope is indestructible and will to live is much stronger than will to destroy.

The chandelier symbolizes four things in the story: the predicament of moral codes, the dual nature of humanity, protection for Mukhlis, and hope. Mukhlis's breakage of the chandelier illustrates the moral predicament because he can not preserve his life and maintain his integrity at the same time. The predicament also implies the dual nature of humanity. Depending on a situation, objects of beauty, such as chandelier, may turn into a piece of metal that can be traded for food. Lastly, the chandelier represents physical and mental protection for Mukhlis and his hope. It protects Mukhlis from eaten by wolves and despair. When Mukhlis tells his story to his great nephew, he is not telling how the chandelier saved his life, but how his hope saved many lives.

Jae H Shin, who wrote this piece for a Writing 001 course at Pitzer College, says of himself "I was born in Seoul , South Korea and came to United States when I turned thirteen. Thus, I have two hometowns, one in South Korea and one in here, Anaheim , where I graduated both middle school and high school. I'm currently a senior with a major in molecular biology and a minor in Western philosophy at Harvey Mudd College . My goal is to contribute something to both societies, whether by being a physician or by being a molecular biologist.