Symbolism
Noah Go
The author uses symbols to represent the deeper emotions and conflicts that Christopher, the speaker in the book, experiences. The first symbol that appears in the book is Mrs. Shears's poodle, Wellington, who had died suddenly. Later in the book Christopher discovers that his father had killed Wellington in rage toward Mrs. Shears. Wellington represented the trust and faithfulness Christopher had with his father. Christopher's father had metaphorically killed Christopher's trust by lying about the death of his mother. (pg.2) At the end on the novel, Christopher's father buys Christopher a new puppy and this represents the regrowing trust between the two characters.