Talk about a sentimental metaphor! Yeesh! However, literary criticism aside, I believe that metaphors and even sentimentality have an important place in our culture.
Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince is a collection of short stories, many in the form of a parable. My favorite is, of course, the namesake story: The Happy Prince. It tells of the relationship between a golden statue and a little swallow that has procrastinated his winter migration. Together, they weep for the sorrows of the city and do what they can to make life better for the poor, the lonely, and the sick. In the end, they both give their lives in service to people who will never recognize their benefactors.
Service is a rare value in literature these days. But it doesn't have to be that way. I'm forever on the lookout for such a character trait in the books that I devour!
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