Environmental Symbolism: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:CABINET_DES_DR_CALIGARI_01.jpg|link=The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
One way for authors to subtly (or overtly) convey and reinforce the mood of a scene, episode, or even the genre of the work is to make the environment symbolize it. Much like a character with an [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]], a setting can be made rife with [[Environmental Symbolism]] to play up the emotional theme at work.
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== Anime & Manga ==
* Pretty common for the theatrics in ''[[
* Planet Gunsmoke in ''[[Trigun]]'' is a drought-stricken, Old West-ish place. Vash The Stampede is a depressive, Old West-ish guy. When he {{spoiler|and Knives land on the planet and he cries over Rem's death, his tears are echoed by the falling debris of the SEEDS ship}}, and when he {{spoiler|defeats his brother in the last episode}}, the nearby townsfolk who've been drilling a well finally strike water.
* The Soul Rooms in both the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]!'' manga and anime reflect the psychological state of their owners.
* The first of ''[[
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' likes to use this to emphasize some of the character's tragic [[Backstory|Back Stories]]; series lead Negi's [[Doomed Hometown|home village]] [[Snow Means Death|in the snow]], [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|immortal]] [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampire]] Evangeline's war-torn battlefields in the 1400's, Asuna's colossal, [[Tron Lines|rune covered]] tower at dusk in which she was the tower's [[Barrier Maiden]]. Akamatsu loves his characterization (expect [[Cherry Blossoms]] during [[Love Hina|happy scenes]]).
* [[Exaggerated]] in the Other World segments in ''[[Black Rock Shooter]]''. Let's just say that the symbolism ''is'' the environment {{spoiler|especially if you subscribe to the [[Battle in
== Comic Books ==
* [[Batman
** This is actually taken to real issues when the superheroes switch haunts every now and then- not only are they both dealing with unfamiliar territory, but Batman complains that the smooth buildings of Metropolis have no catches for his grappling hooks or hiding places, while Superman's X-ray vision is impaired by lead in Gotham's older buildings. The crooks in both cities sure are caught by surprise though.
* Every single realm of The Endless in ''[[The Sandman]],'' naturally. When Orpheus visits Death, this leads to some confusion, and when [[Fisher King|Morpheus]] is imprisoned outside his realm it falls into chaos.
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== Film ==
* ''[[The Wizard of Oz (
* The Graveyard from the infamous showdown scene at the end of ''[[The Good, the Bad
** Not to mention it was designed to look like a Roman circus, as if the graves of the dead were watching the three men fight.
** Most of the bits of architecture in the film resemble gallows, a running theme of the film.
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* The whole [[Terminator]] franchise. Rarely is there a setting that doesn't seem artificial and futuristic and coldly systematic or wastelandy or fascisty in some way in order to show how easily we could slip into the robo endtimes, or scenes that are similar to how humans will fight robots in the future. There are quite a few settings to choose from: Corporate megaliths, computer stores, cement and steel everywhere, hospitals, police stations, deserts, ghettos, construction equipment, factories, warehouses, video game arcades, robot shows, etcetera. Even {{spoiler|Sarah's death by cancer, most likely due to environmental reasons}} shows what living in a toxic, artificial world can do.
* The town in ''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'' is a bright and cheerful, if slightly [[Stepford Suburbia|off]] '50s suburbia, and thus has lots of bright pastels. The Professor's/Edward's castle, by contrast, is dark, empty and mechanical, in black and white. Since the whole thing is ([[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory|possibly]]) about mental illness, the emptiness of it may symbolize Edward's loneliness, as well.
* As tempers rise over the course of ''[[
* ''[[Inception]]'' - Limbo is a barren wasteland, representing Cobb's lifelessness and apathy due to his obsession with his wife's death. Level one of the Fischer job is wet and rainy, literally because the dreamer went to sleep needing to piss.
== Literature ==
* ''[[
* In [[China Mieville]]'s ''[[
* ''[[House of Leaves]]''
== Live Action TV ==
* The coral-based design of the current TARDIS interior in ''[[
* More properly, ''[[
** Also, the Alliance ships and buildings are sterile grey and blue, to fully emphasise the difference between them and the warm and friendly ''Serenity'' and the dry, earthy planets on the Outer Rim.
* The ''[[
** ''[[Star Trek:
** ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
** ''[[Star Trek: Voyager
** ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise
* ''[[Pushing Daisies]]'' is set in a [[Retro Universe|Retro World]] full of bright and cheery colors. The fish-eye perspective and high color saturation convey the [[Magical Realism]] of the setting.
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== Web Comics ==
* ''[[
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