Annie Gallagher’s stories were marked with a symbol. If you’ve read the novel you know that this symbol held great importance for determining the value of these stories (to everyone but Annie that is. For her they were priceless since her father wrote them.)
You might wonder how I can up with the idea that someone might give his original writings a hallmark so others would know he’d actually written it. In the story the author’s pen name is Luther Redmond. I explain where the names came from, but for clarity here I’ll tell you that Luther is for Martin Luther. Martin Luther gave his writings a mark. It’s called the Luther Rose.
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| From Wikimedia Commons, Stained glass window with Lutheran rose by CTHOE |
From Wikipedia, this is how Luther described his symbol when responding to the man who created it for him:
Grace and peace from the Lord. As you desire to know whether my painted seal, which you sent to me, has hit the mark, I shall answer most amiably and tell you my original thoughts and reason about why my seal is a symbol of my theology. The first should be a black cross in a heart, which retains its natural color, so that I myself would be reminded that faith in the Crucified saves us. “For one who believes from the heart will be justified” (Romans 10:10). Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17) but by faith in the crucified. Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matthew 28:3; John 20:12). Such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal. This is my compendium theologiae [summary of theology]. I have wanted to show it to you in good friendship, hoping for your appreciation. May Christ, our beloved Lord, be with your spirit until the life hereafter. Amen.
I was inspired by this and created something for Annie’s father use on his stories. I’ll let you read the book to find the reasoning behind it, but here is how I imagined it looking:
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| Image adapted from work of Jed on Wikimedia Commons |
Just as a master’s painting could be faked, a writer’s manuscript could be mislabeled. In a time when all we had was one’s word, I imagine artists used marks, like kings and officials would have.
