Blanche is a very fake character who only seems to care about status and her appearance.  This is evident when she speaks with Stella and says, “I brought nice clothes and I’ll wear them” (23).  Blanche obviously wants attention and she seems to think that the only way she will get it is if she dresses well.  She thinks people only like those of high class, so she feels that is how she needs to dress.  It is obvious that Blanche cares a lot about her appearance when Stanley goes through her trunk and says to Stella, “Look at these feathers and furs she come here to preen herself in!”  (35).  Stanley can tell that Blanche only cares about her looks just by looking at the kind of clothing she has.  He seems to be the only one who thinks she is crazy for not caring about much else.  Blanche only cares about looking and dressing like something she’s not, and Stanley is the only one who sees right through her.

Blanche has extreme problems with anxiety that she copes with in very unhealthy ways.  One way she deals with her problems is binge drinking.  This is shown when she first arrives at Stanley and Stella’s house and “she springs up and crosses to [a closet], and removes a whiskey bottle.  She pours a half tumbler of whiskey and tosses it down” (18).  She is obviously anxious for Stanley and Stella’s arrival home since they aren’t aware that she’s already arrived.  In an attempt to calm her nerves, she turns to alcohol.  Another way she copes with anxiety is by becoming physically sick.  This occurs when Stanley gives her a train ticket back home and “Blanche tries to smile.  Then she tries to laugh.  Then she gives both up and springs from the table and runs into the next room.  She clutches her throat and then runs into the bathroom” (111).  When Blanche doesn’t know how to deal with something emotionally, her body handles it physically.  She doesn’t seem to know any healthier ways to deal with her feelings of anxiety.

Blanche feels that since she couldn’t turn a gay man straight, she isn’t good enough, which has a devastating effect on her behavior.  She has extreme insecurities about her looks, which is evident when Mitch mentions that he has never seen her in direct light.  He tells her he is going to turn on the light and Blanche replies fearfully, “Light?  Which light?  What for?”  (116).  She is afraid that if Mitch sees her in the light, he will see all of her imperfections and he will not like her anymore.  The light symbolizes this insecurity that she has, which is why she tries to avoid it at all costs.  On top of her insecurities about her looks, Blanche also develops a very promiscuous behavior.  She doesn’t think it’s a big deal until Mitch confronts her: “Oh, I knew you weren’t sixteen anymore.  But I was a fool enough to believe you was straight” (117).  Until Mitch confronts her about her behavior, Blanche believes it is okay because it’s the only thing that makes her feel better about herself.  Since she couldn’t be enough for her gay ex-husband, she hopes she can be good enough for these other men.  Blanche’s evasive and promiscuous behavior are brought on by her not being good enough for her ex-husband.

Through Williams’ use of symbolism, Blanche’s shallow and insecure character becomes more defined, as do her unhealthy ways of dealing with her emotional issues.  Symbolism is one of the most profound literary devices an author can use to relate two seemingly different things to one another.

Fitzgerald uses time to emphasize the correlation between love and money. Throughout the book, time has been a major factor in the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby. Gatsby desperately tried to cling on to feelings of the past, at one point he exclaims: “Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!” (116). It seems that Gatsby cannot grasp the concept that time changes everything, including people; and that the Daisy he see today is no longer the same as the Daisy that he used to love. Time has erases Daisy's love for Gatsby and replaced it with a realistic desire to fit in with society through her marriage to Tom Buchanan. During the first reunion between Gatsby and Daisy, Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as having “his head leaned back so far that it rested against the fact of a defunct mantelpiece clock” (87). The act of leaning against a defunct clock, which represents time, can be interpreted as Gatsby using time as support; yet time, in turn, has failed him. Ever since meeting Daisy, Gatsby has tried desperately to become wealthy and be a good match for Daisy; over time he succeed his dream of attaining the money, but over time, he lost Daisy. Since “Time is money”, Fitzgerald is criticizing how people are unconsciously allowing money to interfere with their lives, and even worse: their love.

By describing the Valley of Ashes as a dumpster for modern industrial wastes, Fitzgerald demonstrates the decay in human values that results from the competition for wealth. When Fitzgerald first introduces the audience to this waste land, the audience was immediately struck with its peculiar feature: “This is a valley of ashes - a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat” (26). Farm is a source of food; and food is a source of life; by replacing food with industrial ashes, Fitzgerald eludes to how modernization is beginning to turn people away from humane characteristics. This point is further supported later in the story when Nick said: “Gatsby is reclaimed by the living dead, by George Wilson, the agent of the Valley of Ashes as well as the agent of Gatsby's death.” (73). Indirectly, Fitzgerald clarifies that Gatsby did not die because of George Wilson the person, but rather because of George Wilson the agent of Valley of Ashes. George Wilson is a man who lives in this dumpster of industrial wastes, and he killed Gatsby, a wealthy man of a modern industrialized society. This is symbolic of how the production of wealth and money bring decay and death to Jay Gatsby. This can be seen as a punishment from a higher power that is unhappy with the path that humankind is taking.

Dr. Eckleburg's eyes represent the higher power that oversees the upper class society as the root of ethical and moral corruption. Driving through the Valley of Ashes, the narrator noted: “The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic - their retinas are one yard high. They look out of no face, but instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which passes over a non-existent nose” (23). The fact that Dr. Eckleburg's eyes is watching over Valley of Ashes and not East Egg or West Egg could mean that God is only watching and protecting the poor people living there who are not yet corrupted. It could also mean that God is watching over the utter destruction by money and he plans on punishing the people who causes it. Either way, this is yet another important symbol that contributes to forming the themes and motifs of the story. It is also ironic that the Doctor's glasses are yellow. Yellow is the color of gold; and gold is a sign of wealth. One way to look at this detail is that Dr. Eckleburg is watching over the Valley of Ashes through gold lenses, or through views of the upper class and money holders, so it could also mean that God himself is being affected by this notion of wealth and his view is also being altered by gold. Once again, towards the end of the story, George Wilson “was looking at the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, which had just emerged, pale and enormous, from the dissolving night” just before he went to Gatsby's home to kill him. Since Wilson represents the poor, and Gatsby represents the rich; the fact that Wilson was motivated and convinced that those eyes, representing God, told him to kill Gatsby means that God is punishing the rich for their corruption.

Throughout the story, Fitzgerald repeatedly emphasizes the point that money is slowing taking over society as a whole, causing ethical and moral decay in the people. This is an important issue to consider because on a global scale, humankind is producing more than they can consume. Yet, there is still millions of people worldwide suffering from hunger and from lacking essential needs. Modernization was meant to improve living standards, but it has brought along the negative effect of people losing themselves in luxurious lifestyles, always wanting more. Capitalism's ideal is to protect the people's right to succeed and achieve the American Dream; its ideal rest upon the notion of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But in the pursuit of happiness via materialistic desires, people are losing their ability to be freed from irresistible luxuries.

“Spring” is a free verse as it does not conform to any set rule. Though not once was the title mentioned in the poem, one finds himself thinking of this particular season. The poem speaks of “Birds' love and birds' song/ Flying here and there” which does evoke feelings of revival or renewal. One thinks of the return of the birds from the South, their beautiful songs of warmth, and their flight back to beloved trees that are coming into bloom. The third line repeats the first, then the fourth surprises you with, “And you with gold for hair!” This line tells you that the poem is not all about our flying friends. It speaks of an adored target (a woman comes to mind) with golden hair. A repeat of the first line once more, then the words, “Passing with the weather,” 7th and 8th lines read “Men's song and men's love/To love once and forever.”

Indeed? Tennyson seems to be saying that though the birds' flights, songs and love change with the weather, men's last forever. What was surprising was the word “once,” that to me connotes a first love that never did die. The second verse brings birds, men, and women together. Third and fourth lines of the second verse reads, “And you my wren with a crown of gold/You my queen of the wrens!” Here the feelings flow out. The poet gives his love a bird's name. A wren, curiously enough, is generally only of a dark brown plumage, but since wrens are considered songbirds, Tennyson obviously thought them a good enough species. It also emphasizes how special his love is-Queen of the wrens of their ordinary color, indeed! “You the queen of the wrens--/We'll be birds of a feather/I'll be King of the Queen of the wrens/And all in a nest together,” the final lines read.

His hopes all summarized into the last two lines-that in future he sees himself united in marriage with his love and building a home together. Tennyson, relaying pure emotion, talked here of Spring, of love, of songs of love. It's curious to note how Tennyson has more that one poem with Spring in its title. “Progress of Spring,” which speaks of man's hopes and likening it to Spring is another. Tennyson also once quoted: “In the Spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” So this poem is just Tennyson relaying his thoughts of love to his readers. No hidden lessons, just a light rendering of words.

On the other hand, “The Flower” goes a little further than “Spring.” It is what is called a Quatrain (a type of rhyming verse), having 4 lines with each line's last words rhyming interchangeably (1). The rhyming might make it seem childlike, but its message is not. It tells of a person who planted a seed, then “Up there came a flower/The people said, a weed.” Here begins a difference of opinion. He thinks it's a flower, others think it's a weed. The next lines speak of these same people going through his bower, “And muttering discontent/Cursed me and my flower.” A bower is basically an arbor, and this is usually within one's property. I would surmise that people had access to his bower and resisted strongly to the presence of a plant, that to them, ruined the scenery. But what happens next is curious.

“Then it grew so tall/It wore a crown of light/But thieves from o'er the wall/Stole the seed by night.” A change was wrought in that man's flower that it got the attention of wrong-doers. They didn't steal the flower though, but just the seed. What the thieves did with the seed was, in the words of Alice, even curiouser. The thieves sowed the seed “by every town and tower,” “Till all the people cried/Splendid is the Flower!” Here you see Tennyson's lesson starting to take shape. Once the flower was in abundance, it seemed most wonderful to behold. Just like how some material things that at first seemed irrelevant become valuable when your neighbors flashed them in front of you. So now, according to the poem, “And some are pretty enough/And some are poor indeed/And now again the people/Call it but a weed.” How insightful!

Once everybody could have easily acquired it, nobody wanted it once more. It cannot be denied that people easily put something down because of its unappealing look, if you will, then once others have it, change their minds. And Tennyson's poem goes full circle. What started as a weed that became a flower, came back to being regarded as the former. I loved the fact that Tennyson used the flower as a metaphor. A flower can be beautiful to some, superfluous to others. It is quite easily grown, and just as easily destroyed. Just as reputations or a good name is easily made and destroyed. You somehow feel that Tennyson was in a somber and reflective mood when he wrote this.

After a deeper examination of these poems, I do see a few similarities. One who reads this poem for the first time gets the feeling that they were written by the same author. Tennyson makes use of nature quite a number of times in his poems. Poems like “The Oak” and “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal” are a few others that are nature-themed. “Spring” and “The Flower” are not the only ones where he incorporated nature into poetry, or where he used them as symbols. Birds like men, flowers like frivolities. He also used the word “crown” in both poems. A “crown of gold” from “Spring” and a “crown of light” from “The Flower.” His sense of imagery is the same throughout both poems.

The differences are stark, as well. Of course, the type of poetry used was different. In fact, Tennyson used quite a number of poetry styles for all his works, from ballads to free verse, from rhymes to odes (2). There is also the “mood.” There is a sense of exhilaration in “Spring” that one doesn't get in “The Flower.” Likewise, there's an air of “hear-this” in “The Flower” that is absent from “Spring.” There's a timbre of importance, of a lesson that MUST be learned. The use of symbolism was the same, but then again, quite different. In “Spring,” humans were likened to birds or vice versa. The feelings that were evoked by birds and songs were translated to human emotion. In “The Flower,” however, the inanimate thing (flower) was likened to still inanimate objects (material things, reputations, and such). But differences spell uniqueness, so they say.

Alfred Lord Tennyson suffered from extreme short-sightedness - without a monocle he could not even see to eat - which gave him considerable difficulty writing and reading, and this disability in part, accounts for his manner of creating poetry(3). We see his imagination come through because that was all he could do: imagine a world of color and shade. The poems we examined are just that-color and shade. Love came out so colorfully in “Spring,” while weeds of judgment darkened the page of “The Flower.”

In Antonio's nightmare, many themes are present that relate to a conflict in religion. In his nightmare, Antonio's parents are arguing over what Antonio's religion and way of life should be like. Antonio's mother, portrayed standing on the moon with the holy water of the church, wants him to become a priest and worship the one and only God. His father, portrayed standing on the barren shore of the lake, wants him to let the llano and the will to wander like the water of the sea control his life. Also, the mysterious golden carp, portrayed swimming in the lake with the people it has saved from the evil Mermaid of the lake, is not trying to persuade Antonio to be a believer in him but is present because of the question in Antonio's mind of, “Am I a believer in the story?” (119). Antonio is confused about which religion or path in life to take after hearing the story of the golden carp from his friend Cico previously and knowing that his father and mother are believers in different ideals. “Oh please tell me which is the water that runs through my veins…” (120). This nightmare also shows many of Antonio's deep dark fears.

This nightmare also proves that there are many things haunting Antonio's mind. Antonio is afraid of the deep depths of the water because he is afraid of the Mermaid that lies within. It is common for people to be afraid of deep water because people are afraid of what they cannot see. In this case, Antonio is afraid of where the Mermaid might be swimming around in the lake killing innocent souls that she has lured in with her calling melody. This is likely present in Antonio's dream also because of Cico's story of the mermaid which was about how, “Last summer the mermaid took a shepherd” (116). Along the shores of the lake, there are dead, rotting, corpses which are probably a sign of Antonio's fear coming from his having witnessed the death of a man named Lupito. Also, the ghosts that were wandering the shore in his nightmare are a common thing to see in haunted dreams because people associate ghosts with haunted or spooky places.

Finally, this nightmare shows that Antonio has a lot of trust in a woman called Ultima and admires her greatly. At the end of Antonio's nightmare, Ultima comes out and resolves everything by ending the argument between Antonio's parents. She stops the storm and saves Antonio and the world. “Cease! She cried to the raging powers, and the power from the heavens and the power from the earth obeyed her. The storm abated” (120). Having a person in a dream with this much power must mean that this person is extremely special or influential in Antonio's life. In addition, there was lighting in the dream right before Ultima came in. This signifies that there was a great awareness or understanding to come in the near future. When Ultima came she explained to Antonio, “…the sweet water of the moon which falls as rain is the same water that gathers into the rivers and flows to fill the seas” (121). Antonio looks up to Ultima to teach and help him throughout the book and is showing this through his nightmare.

In Antonio's nightmare, there is great symbolism showing his confusion about religion and how to live, his many fears in life, and how much he truly cares about and respects Ultima. In Antonio's nightmare, three forces are competing for his approval. There are many things and ideas in this nightmare that haunt Antonio and there is also a struggle between good and evil trying to win Antonio's trust. Antonio believes that his world is going to end until finally his savior, Ultima, appears and saves the day with her mighty wisdom. Dreams are very symbolic of what a person's life is presently like and show what haunts and pleases him in the deep depths of his internal conscience.

Winnie questions, “What would I do without them? What would I do without them, when words fail?” (53). The fact that she uses the word “without” introduces the idea of being alone. Winnie is referring to the thought of not having any of her possessions, and suggesting that her life would be empty without her bag and its contents. She goes on to say, “Gaze before me, with compressed lips. I cannot.” (53) Winnie cannot be silent; she is conscious of this. The stage directions convey that she physically attempts silence and fails. Her inability to remain silent at any moment attests to the idea that her words fill up space and time, allowing her to forget that she is truly alone.

Winnie's eternal optimism is relevant in the line, “Ah yes, great mercies, great mercies,” followed by a lowering of the voice and, “Sometimes I hear sounds” (53). This demonstrates Winnie's hope of accompaniment to fill in emptiness and provide company.

“They are a boon, sounds are a boon, they help me…through the day,” (53) Winnie admits. “Sounds,” which, logically, include her own sounds, Winnie's millions of words, are her symbolic comforts. “The old style!” (53). She smiles when referring to the “old style” of speech and writing. “The old style” is never quite defined, but now and again, Winnie mentions how words fail her, so it is safe to assume that “the old style” is the speech she used prior to being in her current position. “The old style” likely consists of the terms she once knew but now cannot recall, such as the case with “hog” from earlier in the play. The thought of her old patterns of speech brings back memories of a truly happier time--perhaps one in which she was not so alone; perhaps before she was stuck in the mound.

Winnie stops smiling and says, “Yes, those are happy days, when there are sounds” (53). The stage directions state that her smile fades when she says this, perhaps because she has ceased thinking of the “old style” she loves so dearly, and perhaps because she is not entirely convinced that sound is enough to keep her company. Sound only occupies one of Winnie's senses, whereas living companions would demand all of her senses. Despite their constant presence and reliability, Winnie longs for more companionship than mere words provide. This is understandable as, through the play, words “die” to Winnie-the word “hog” has no meaning, but she then loses words that are much more familiar to her, such as “breast.” She discusses this, how, once an idea no longer exists, it never really existed to begin with. “When I hear sounds. I used to think… I say I used to think they were in my head,” (53) she then says. It is possible that Winnie was once to the point of believing the only companionship she would obtain would be imaginary. She interrupts her own thought, saying, “But no. No no” (53). Again, when she says this, Winnie smiles. This smile could represent many things. Perhaps Winnie feels relief for not being entirely alone, in having the company of, at least, her beloved sounds, empty as she sometimes finds them, and as fleeting as they are. Or maybe her smile exists for that-the knowledge that language will eventually fall away from her, as all companions do, symbolic or not.

“Sounds. Like little…sunderings, little falls…apart,”

Winnie again refers to the sounds she makes and those she hears. Her use of “sunderings” and “falls…apart,” suggest that words and noises are broken pieces of something bigger, something that has, in fact, fallen apart. This idea of pieces is a metaphor-the thought that Winnie, herself, may be falling apart over the course of the play. She is trapped, physically and psychologically, and is losing a little more of herself to the mound with each day, leaving only pieces of the woman she used to be. Her words fail her, her husband is non-responsive, and she is constantly remembering the life she has left behind. Winnie is, as her language, falling apart. But, as sounds and objects, symbols, are all she has to depend upon, she moves on.

She changes the subject, and begins to speak to Willie. “It's things, Willie. In the bag, outside the bag” (54). It appears as though she feels the need to speak to an actual person, or spirit, which is why she is referring directly to Willie. Winnie again mentions “things.” Her possessions are companions, as well. “Ah yes, things have their life, that is what I always say, things have a life” (54). Here, Winnie introduces a new idea-she is personifying her possessions, which might be an attempt to make them human enough for her to not feel silly in their status as “companions.” “Take my looking-glass, it doesn't need me,” (54) she continues. She returns to loneliness, whether consciously or not, in the idea that even the things she is dependent upon do not need her.

“The bell”

 Winnie mentions another companion of sorts. The bell is with her, every morning and every night. Also, the coupling of the bell symbolizes companionship, which mirrors Winnie and Willie and their physical togetherness, yet emphasizes Willie's despondency, which produces Winnie's state of isolation. “It hurts like a knife. A gouge,” Winnie says. “One cannot ignore it” (54). Winnie does not want to listen to the bell, as it also represents time. Time continues to march forward, whether Winnie likes it or not; it is inescapable. Continually, she suggests the possibility of “ignoring” the bell, then rejects the idea, saying it is not an option. This is the metaphor again-the bell is time. To ignore time is impossible.

“There is my story of course, when all else fails”

Her optimism is showing again, perhaps. Winnie's high spirits in this moment are ironic, as she realizes her mortality. She cannot live forever and the bell reminds her constantly of it. She maintains her loneliness, as well. The story, however, provides ultimate companionship-her story is her's. It has been with her all along and will live on “when all else fails.” Beyond this, her story is her utmost distraction from loneliness. “A life. A long life” (54). While in one way, simply a rephrasing of “story,” this adds more meaning and depth; Winnie's life has been worthwhile, to her. She smiles. The smile demonstrates that she is proud of her longevity, despite her lonesomeness. It is a resolution for Winnie-her life has had value, and she appreciates it more than she dwells in acknowledgment of her current solitary state.

Despite optimism and slight resolutions, Winnie's smile fades. This ultimately insists that the central theme of Happy Days is, in fact, loneliness. Winnie is in want of companionship until the very last scene of the play, where her Willie provides. Winnie's fluctuating smiles only accentuate her rebounding optimism, which finally gives way to her forlorn existence. Through the utilization of words, anecdotes, and objects, Beckett exercises a great deal of symbolism within this play.

During the novel Steinbeck gives many clues that their dream is futile as many tedious obstacles present themselves. The rabbits sit like "grey, sculptured stones," which then run for cover at the forthcoming footsteps; this represents the calm before the storm of Lennie and George's world.

Candy's dog was “a dragfooted sheep dog, grey of muzzle” which Candy had raised from a puppy. The dog eventually gets shot mercifully by Carlson, another ranch hand who cannot stand the smell and says that it's Candy who is not being kind keeping him alive. During the exchange of views Candy looks for alternatives, he looks to Slim who is the most respected ranch hand, due to his talents to help him. Despite this, Slim takes Carlson's point of view and offers Candy one of his puppies to raise up. "Candy looked about unhappily." "No" he said softly. "No, I couldn"t do that. I had "im too long." It is clear from this that no one understands the bond that Candy shares with his dog as the majority of the other ranch workers travel alone, not including Lennie and George who are also misinterpreted, especially by the boss.

Curley's wife is married to the boss' son Curley as of 2 weeks. She is quite often misunderstood by the other ranch workers and considered a "tart" and a "looloo." Some would argue that she was just lonely, being the only woman on the ranch. She couldn't freely talk to the other workers as they thought she would get them "canned", being the boss' son's wife.

Curley's wife, throughout the novel was portrayed as, very well made up "She had full, rouged lips", with fine clothes "She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers". This sort of attire is inappropriate for on a ranch which shows that she still longs for the "movie star" life she was told she could have by an admirer. She represents the failed dreams of many women stuck in loveless marriages. Throughout the novel Steinbeck never named Curley's wife as she was seen as a possession, not a person. Curley's wife was the only woman mentioned on the novel, aside from Lennie's Aunt Clara, ideally because in those days women were seen as a trap to ensnare and ruin men.

Slim is considered "the Prince of the ranch", which shows that the workers, even Curley respect him, and what he does. Slim is a "jerkline" skinner, very skilled in his work, "He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler"s butt'. He is also one of a very few that understood the bond Lennie and George shared, himself and Candy are the only people that show compassion to George in his loss at the end of the novel.

The conch and the sow's head are the symbols that draw the most attention; they reflect the most power. Difference of these symbols can be seen from the beginning of their appearance in the story. The conch is found in the lagoon. It is an inspiring piece of art that exists there naturally. On the other hand, the head is made from brutality and violence; there is nothing natural about it. Just the event of the sow being killed is done in a demented fashion and it shows another symbol. Sows being the female are the one capable of reproducing. When the hunt works its way for the kill, instead of going for the baby pigs, they go for the sow. It shows an end coming to life, and maybe hopes.

Ralph and Jack take power somewhat similarly to the two symbols. Ralph takes up the conch voluntarily and there is no fight with Piggy to obtain it. So, it doesn't surprise to see that Ralph got position of the chief without trying; the votes are purely voluntary of the kids. Jack from the very beginning of the novel tries to force his will into others. The deaths of the sow, symbolizing forced sex portray Jack expressing his will into something else. He eventually uses this technique to get almost all of the people on the island to join his side. From the point of the evil side, they aren't evil. Jack thinks that he is doing something good for the group, but in reality, he is only speeding up chaos all over the island.

One of the powerful symbols used by Jack to gain power is meat. The temptation of meat was too much for even Ralph and Piggy. The meat of the pig leads to the worst events on the island, such as: Simon's death, the group splitting up, and Jack and his followers turning into savages. The out of control dance, which killed Simon, certainly had connections with meat. Meat symbolizes as the fruit in the Garden of Eden while the snake is somewhat played by Jack. Jack is the main hunter without whom there wouldn't be such a need for meat. Meat alone is not something that was a problem, but the knowledge of more meat was. Temptation to have more meat is still with them. Golding shows here that even after so long, we still might be the same.

While the conch and the sow's head are very important symbols, there still remain others. Piggy's glasses and Jack's knife are the most outstanding of minor symbols. Piggy's glasses mean clarity and wisdom. It is also used to make fire, one of the principles, but dangerous technologies of human. Jack's knife shows violence and danger. While at the same time, a knife can be used for useful actions. Over the course of the story, Piggy's glasses are broken, and then taken by Jack. The glasses are then blind, and it defines Jack's actions. In the end, Piggy's glasses, Jack's knife and the sow's head are on the evil side. The conch that stands for order cannot belong in the evil side, thus destroyed. Golding is trying to tell us that evil is stronger than good and even the most good of things have evil in them. The whole novel is about the struggle of good and evil which take the roles of symbols and Ralph and Jack.

Symbols in the novel “Lord of the Flies” take an important role in the plot. The conch being good and the sow's head being evil conflict each other. Something had to give, so the conch is broken into countless pieces. Golding tries to tell us that evil is stronger than good and even the most good people have a dark, evil side to them when not necessarily vice-versa. The conch's power draws on admiration and beauty while the head does the opposite. The head rules the people with terror and fear. As those symbols dictate the balance of good and evil, Jack brings in his trump card, meat. It really doesn't take much for people to switch sides into evil and it worked like a charm for Jack. The technologies brought in from their former world are turned to the evil side, giving evil another triumph. All in all, the person who can control such a symbol wields the power to change things around.

1. Bone / Chapstick

In the beginning of the book, Bone is originally named Chappie. Bone's name represents his independence. When Bone lives at home and with the bikers, he is always dependent on someone. Either his parents, Russ and even I-man at first. After Bone decides to change his name he gains more independence. Right after the fire that destroyed Bone and Russ's home with the bikers, the two boys hide out in an summer home, unused in the winter.

It's here where Bone begins to gain his independence. Bone begins to make most of the decisions and eventually when Russ leaves him to return to a ‘normal' life, Bone is defiant and decides to remain an outlaw. During his stay with I-man and Sister Rose, Bone is less dependent on I-man, are is actually having Sister Rose depend on him. Finally, after I-man is killed in Jamaica, Bone is all alone in a country where he is a foreign alien, Bone's ability to successfully handle this situation really proves his independence.

2. Willie

Willie was Bone's cat at home. For Bone, home was never a happy place. His mother and step father were enemies. Always judging him for what he wore and did. They were constantly on his case about everything. Willie never judged him or hurt him. Willie was always there for him and never turned his back on him, accept for when Bone destroyed his parents bed by repeatedly firing his step father's gun at it after trying to kill Willie. This scared Willie so much that he wouldn't go near Bone again.

This was the last time Bone ever saw Willie. When Bone returns home, he finds that Willie has been hit by a car and killed. Willie is a symbol for I-man, sister Rose and Bruce. I-man was Bone's only true friend in Jamaica. Bone betrays - man when he tells his actual father that he saw I-man and Evening Star, his father's current girlfriend, having sex.

This results in I-man death. Sister Rose is a girl, otherwise known as Froggy, that Bone rescued from Buster Brown, a kiddie porn dealer. Bone eventually sends Sister Rose to go live with her mother. But Sister Rose's mother is a poor drug addict whose husband is in prison.

She is unable to support or take care of Sister Rose and the girl eventually dies. Bruce was the leader of the biker gang that Bone and Russ lived with. Bruce lost his life in a fire, trying to save Bone. These three people's death's could all be blamed on Bone, just like the death of his cat. If Bone hadn't left home, his cat wouldn't have been hit by a car, if Bone hadn't told his father about Evening Star and I-man, I-man wouldn't have died, if Bone hadn't sent Sister Rose to her mother, she wouldn't have died and if Bone hadn't been living with the bikers, Bruce would have never risked his life to save him. These were all people Bone trusted and loved, and their deaths were all caused by him.

3. Buster's Money

Bone meets up with Buster Brown soon after he parts ways with Russ at the summer home. Buster is a child pornographer, accompanied by a little girl he named Froggy, due to her large eyes. Buster tells Bone that he makes his money off producing rap concerts, but Bone finds this difficult to believe due to the fact that when he first met Buster Brown at the Plattsburg mall, Buster tried to get Bone to pose for one of his photo shoots.

During a riot at one of Busters rap shows, Froggy and Bone manage to escape with Buster's money. Bone at first is glad to have the money, but soon realizes that it was probably made from selling kiddie porn and no longer wants to use it. Buster's money symbolizes how Bone does not want to live a normal ‘white' life. In this book, the author highlights the differences in the life of a white person, and the life of a black person.

The white people always have money and power and are free to do what they please, while the black people are poor and are forced to work or entertain the white people for a living. Bone is disgusted with this situation, while most white and black people seem to like it. This is the same with the money. Most people would be overjoyed to be given a large amount of money and Bone is as well, at first. But then Bone begins to see the evils behind the money, like how it was made, so he got rid of it. But unlike the money, Bone is unable to get rid of the separation of blacks and whites.

4. Jah - Stick

This symbolizes Bone's view on I-man. While I-man and Bone are living on the bus, I-man makes a Jah - stick, a religious Rasta symbol. When Bone first touches the Jah-stick it hurts him. I-man tells him it's ‘Rasta magic'. Bone is fascinated by this. Bone is also fascinated by I-man's mysterious Rasta ways when he first meets him. On their way to Jamaica, Bone discovers the secret of I-mans Jah-stick (pins) and no longer is fascinated.

It's same with I-man. In Jamaica, Bone sees another, more mundane side to I-man and begins to see him as just a man and not a mystical prophet. This is also Bone's connection to I-man after he dies. Bone takes the Jah - stick with him and carries it wherever he goes, hoping that I-man's Rasta spirit will guide him.

5. Map of Jamaica

When Bone first went to Jamaica, he expected it to hold the answers to his problems. He expected to be able to live freely as he wanted to. But eventually he saw that Jamaica was just as bad as America. He saw that the black people were constantly below any white person. The white people held all the money and power. The island soon became a prison for Bone.

6. Paper Clipping

After Bone is first kicked out of his home he goes to live with a gang of bikers and Russ. Bone is also forced to leave this home due to a fire. Soon Russ and Bone are on their way to a summer home that goes unused in the winter. On their travels, Russ sees a newspaper that has an article about the fire.

He decides to keep it as a memory. When Russ leaves Bone, he also leaves him with the newspaper clipping which Bone carries with him on all his adventures. In Bone's final days in Jamaica, he looks back at the paper, remembering how immature he was. This clipping is like a connection to Chappie, the 14 year old dependant teenager.

7. Plane Ticket

This is kind of like Bone's ticket to freedom. In America, Bone was constantly looked down upon. He always felt trapped and like he was under someone else's control. (Russ, his mother, his step father.) For Bone, America was a place where he could never be free to be himself. Jamica seems like an island paradise where he can live his life the way he wants.

When they finally get back together they work hard to bridge the gap that has opened between them. Their time together is punctuated by a red convertible which seems to connect these two brothers in life and death.

The story begins at a turning point for both boys. Henry has recently left his job and Lyman has just seen the sum of his early success blown away by a Tornado. These winds of change leave both brothers with a pocket full of money and the desire to travel. On a trip to Canada, they are both dazzled by a car that seems to speak to them both.

To these two boys, the car represented something more than just an object but rather the personification of life itself. As stated by Lyman, the car appeared to be in repose (p365). The two brothers recklessly threw in all they had leaving just enough money to get back home. This was the beginning of a summers worth of adventure as the two boys took the car across the top of America, up to Alaska, and finally back home.

Along their journey, they met interesting people, took in the beauty of nature, and inhaled deeply from the life of summer. The Car carried them together through life without failure (p366) and was the tie that would bind them together forever.

Henry was called to war. His return marked a sever change in the relationship between the two boys. Lyman spent the summer maintaining the car while he maintained his hopes during his brother's absence. While Henry had returned in body, the spirit that Lyman had known was absent leaving only a void created by the war. Lyman couldn't rekindle the connection that they had shared during the summer long journey. Henry's failure to even look at the red convertible since his return led Lyman to craft a plan. On his first opportunity, he took a hammer to the car and undid all his hard work and kind maintenance.

He bent the muffler, threw dirt in the carburetor and peeled all the tape off the seats until it “looked worse than any typical Indian car that has been driven all its life on a reservation”(p368). It took over a month for Henry to notice the damage but it was well worth the wait. Henry became angry at Lyman's false thoughtlessness but his reaction was the first time Henry had spoken more than a few words. To Lyman this was positive progress.

Henry worked on the car during the colder months and finished the work just in time for the start spring. Henry asked Lyman to go for a drive and Lyman was ready.

The boys planned to head to the Red River so Henry could see the high water. With a cooler in the trunk and the car packed, they pause only for a quick photo next to the car before the left. Lyman sensed, even at this early stage, the heaviness of Henry's feelings as his brother seemed to struggle with the simple act of placing his arm around Lyman's shoulders (p369).

The Trip is a quiet one but full of promise for Lyman. His brother is clearly not happy but rather does seem to exude a sense of peace that hasn't been seen since his return. They camp at the river's edge and watch the high rushing waters carry the trash of winter away. Lyman can sense his brother's pain and conflict as something both crushing and yet trying to be free simultaneously (p369).

The two brothers finally manage to break the ice and they talk of Henry's pain and of his knowledge that Lyman damaged the car intentionally. Henry feels that he is completely lost and offers the car to Lyman who refuses. This leads to an argument that degrades into a full blown fist fight and finally to laughing agreement between the two that Lyman would take the car. For a brief moment, it would seem that the old Henry has returned as his joy seems to spring from him as he hoots and hollers and dances. His Joy seems tainted with sadness though and even his dance seems to Lyman to be a bit strange.

Henry suddenly jumps into the rushing waters of the Red River and is silently swept to his death by the currents. Lyman's efforts to find him are not successful and the car, which now belongs to Lyman, becomes a grim reminder of loss. Lyman drives the car into the Red River behind Henry where it slowly sinks into the running oblivion of its currents.

Lyman says at the beginning of the story that the car was his until his brother bought out his share. Although Lyman was given the car in the end, it is clear to him that it doesn't belong to him. The car was reliable during the first summer journey. It carried them through joy and adventure with ease and speed. During Henry's absence, it represented Lyman's love for his brother since he cared for it as if it were a candle he lit for Henry every night.

When Henry's return brought chaos, Lyman reflected this onto the car so that his brother could see. Henry's repair of the vehicle made his wishes clear although they may have been unachievable by him.

Finally, when Henry left, he took with him the love and friendship that existed between these two brothers. This friendship sank to the bottom of the Red River, just like the Red Convertible.