Interpretation Essay

Have you ever heard about the rape of Persephone? If you have, have you looked at the rape from Hades perspective? The split between mother and daughter tore Demeter apart, but Persephone found love in another lonely person. Hades took Persephone away to the underworld and Demeter was depressed without her daughter. Persephone eventually got to go back to her mother, but had to return to the underworld because she ate a pomegranate seed that Hades had given her, so she had to go back to Hades every year. There are three levels of interpretation: natural, social, and psychological. They each explain who a person is, but in different ways. The natural level is the outside, the big picture. The social level is underneath the skin, getting in depth breaking the big picture down. The psychological level is all the insides, getting all of the specifics.

The natural level of interpretation of Demeter would be that she is the goddess of the corn or harvest. She played a very important part on Earth. She gave the mortals food and the four seasons. Her social level of interpretation would be that Demeter is a loving mother. She gave mankind the art of agriculture, a very important skill. The last level is psychological, Demeter is easy to relate to the mortals because she had lost someone she loved. Demeter was sad and depressed upon the loss of her daughter. She was revengeful; she did not let anything grow when Persephone was not with her, which created the seasons.

Persephone’s natural level would contain the spring. She was a symbol of freshness and new beginnings of all beautiful things. The social level of interpretation for Persephone would be being a daughter. She was also a symbol of innocence. She was pure, beautiful, and a virgin. Persephone’s psychological level is the need of being on your own and making your own choices. She had the freedom of choosing whether or not she should eat the pomegranate seed.

Hades is the god of the underworld or wealth. He is a symbol of death and the afterlife. He also is a thief because he liked having things nobody else had and would steal things that he wanted. On a social level of interpretation Hades was very mysterious and unknown, a man of few words. Most of all he was jealous of the other gods because the other gods got to relax and socialize up on Mt. Olympus while Hades was stuck in the underworld by himself. The last level is psychological; Hades was in need for companionship. He was a sad and lonely man who just needed someone to love and care for.

Although Persephone was angry and sad to be separated from her mother she, ended up falling in love with Hades. Hades stole Persephone away only because he was so lonely for so many years. He chose Persephone because she was a symbol of beginnings and she was beautiful; he knew that the other gods would be jealous that he had her. Demeter was heartbroken that she did not get to spend every day with her daughter, but she did slowly accept that Persephone had to be with Hades for half the year. If anyone ever says to you that Hades was a bad or mean man, I challenge you to make them see Hades point of view and how lonely he was. Ask them what they would do if they were stuck by themselves forever and had nobody to even talk to.