Strindberg recurrently uses symbolism drawn from nature to great effect throughout her work Miss Julie, accentuating the impact of the act of sexual intercourse on the shifting class divisions between Julie and Jean. The evocative images that Strindberg uses throughout the show highlight the protagonists' deviation from the socially acceptable behavioral norms of the time. Already in the scenography the air is charged with sexual tension. Egil Tornqvist (1999) writes: "To a Swede, birch leaves in the kitchen indicate that it is midsummer, Midsummer's Eve being the day of the year when 'all rank is laid aside,' when masters and servants come together - and when drinking and lovemaking are carnivalesque' and 'there is a link between the lilacs on the kitchen table and the lilac bushes outside, suggesting that the two groups share the same sexual needs (lilacs as aphrodisiacs ).The combination of Cupid, lilacs and phallic-shaped poplars speaks for itself.' Strategically placed symbols, which are repeated throughout the work, illustrate and provide further emphasis on the divide between the social classes of the time contributed by the growing seduction. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't be banned"? Get an original essay Close to the phase shift, both Jean and Julie describe dreams, which are an immediate exposition of their desires in terms of class and therefore success or personal freedom. While Julie feels dizzy at the top of a high pillar due to his isolated position in society, Jean is lying under a tree, in a dark forest The feeling of being trapped in a dense forest creates a suffocating atmosphere being kept in the dark reveals the extent to which the class of Jean's servants limits his opportunities. He wishes to "climb and climb" higher up the tree to rob "the nest with the golden egg", however "the trunk is so thick, slippery, the first branch is too much." tall, too tall..." The "slippery" trunk could be perceived as a phallic symbol, with the "golden egg" being a yonic representation of Julie's pure virginity that she wishes to "steal". The nest symbolizes the female genitals, enclosing an egg made of the most perfect golden metal, a symbol of rich treasure and status. Clearly, climbing the tree symbolizes Jean's desire to rise in society as well as a sexual act. According to Sigmund Freud (1920), "stairs, climbs, steps in relation to their ascent, are certainly symbols of sexual intercourse". Using the concept of theft, Strindberg also illustrates the forbidden nature of Jean's desires. Stealing the innocent egg implies that he will steal Miss Julie's virginity through coitus. In this case the branch is part of Julie herself. However, it is too 'high' because she has not yet let herself 'fall' to 'the ground'; she did not lower herself by consenting to this act, which would result in her "fall from grace". It is further implied that Jean's presumably long-lived desire to have sexual relations with Julie is aimed at elevating his class through sentencing; “If we slept on nine midsummer flowers tonight, our dreams would come true.” According to Swedish tradition, it is said that if an unmarried woman picks seven or nine types of flowers and places them under her pillow, she will dream of her future husband1. However, as any audience of the time would have known, Julie's marriage to the servant would automatically spell her social downfall. She, in fact, would "fall" from her "pillar" because of the scandal, even if Jean literally gained an advantage from the branch that he has not yet "grabbed". Una Chaudhuri (1993) writes that "the crude symbolism of these dreams, their images ofhigh and low, up and down, rise and fall, offers a convenient and schematic key to interpret the plot, inviting us to read the sexual encounter as a moment of class inversion." There is a sense of inevitability through Jean's belief that he will then "shine like everyone else."a ladder" and Julie's openly defiant interest in him as a man. Religious symbols in relation to nature are also particularly significant in the revealing Julie's previous innocence, the ramifications of the sexual act on this chastity, and the division between the two characters' class positions is a powerful device used by Strindberg to highlight Julie's youthful purity. and thus recognize the extent to which she will "fall" after the act. Jean implies her wholesomeness by describing the white and fragrant "jasmine bushes", color signifying this purity “Garden of Eden” with “The Apple Trees” suggests a biblical setting Her statement that “all boys steal apples” once again implies the inevitability of the subsequent sexual act, but further positions her as the temptress, Eve. , led by Satan. Jean's reference to the "Tree of Life" gives this first part of the work further heavy, biblical symbolism. The antithesis between the lush, bountiful "Garden of Eden" and Jean's youth - a "waste land...not even a tree" - colors the class divide between the two characters. The scent of flowers is used by Strindberg to emphasize the contrast of class divisions on multiple occasions. When Jean recounts hiding in the sweet-smelling Turkish pavilion before escaping through the stinking latrine, Strindberg includes in his captions Jean breaking a sprig of lilac and holding it out for Julie to smell, flowers sometimes said to symbolize innocence youth. , but which in Sweden (and by Strindberg himself in his preface) were considered aphrodisiacs. Anna Westerstohl Stenport (2012) considers this a “deodorizing” act. However Julie "took the lilac and now drops it on the table." This action could be seen as a willingness on his part to let himself "fall" into the earth. Jean describes how, when he watched Julie as a child in the “rose garden,” she would “dive into the compost pile… thistles, mud, stink.” Through this comparison it is clear that she is "higher" than him in terms of class while he is a "peasant", not only low in physical standing, but in filth, assailed by the stench of his escape through humans. excrement and scratched by thistles. As an innocent child, Julie has not yet "fallen from grace" and is still "pure". However, once the sexual act occurs, Jean describes Julie as "useless", illustrating this opinion with "I'm sorry you fell so low, lower than your cook." I am sorry that the flowers are trampled, trampled in the mud and autumn rain.' It is evident here that the roles have been reversed; the repetition of the mud metaphor, now used to represent Julie's social position instead of Jean's, highlights the extent to which inappropriate sexual relationships were once a significant determinant of class position. Furthermore, the white flowers 'trampled into the mud' denote the desecration of her purity and the fact that she has now joined Jean in the 'filth'. The repetition of metaphors is particularly prevalent regarding Jean's dream; in the first description, although it is implied that Julie is literally "his first branch" to give him an "advantage" in the class system, this concept is not yet fully represented. However, after the balance of power is tipped through the act of sexual intercourse, Julie