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Are the literary symbols found in books for the reader or the characters?

The symbols in a story can help you understand the author’s purpose for telling it—the message she wants to send, in other words. Imagine reading a story about a girl named Jennie who feels terrible about how she treated her friend. As Jennie wanders slowly through a park, her hands in her pockets and her thoughts elsewhere, she trips over a large branch that has fallen across the path. After Jennie picks herself up, she sees that the branch has fallen from an olive tree. And just like that, she knows what she has to do.

an olive branch against a light blue sky

Is the olive branch a clue for readers or simply a sign for Jennie? Well, probably both. Jennie sees the branch as a sign that she should take steps to make peace with her friend. The fact that she had to trip over the branch to see it could be a symbol that only readers of Jennie’s story notice.

What symbols in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry are also seen as symbols by the characters? Do they symbolize the same ideas for characters as for readers? Think about each of the symbols below—specifically, how their meaning may differ for readers, compared to the novel’s characters. When you have some ideas, click the image and compare your ideas about these symbols to ours.

a revolver
a revolver

For T.J., the pearl-handled pistol symbolizes the kind of power and respect that he doesn’t have. T.J. tells the Logan children that no one would have to be afraid if he had that pistol—he could protect them because people would take him seriously and avoid upsetting him. For readers, the symbolic meaning of the pistol is more complicated. We can see that T.J.’s feelings about it are probably unrealistic and short-sighted. As T.J. continues to obsess about it, the pistol grows to symbolize a certain kind of foolishness or desperation, as well as a different kind of danger than T.J. imagines.

front of an old car
front of an old car

To Uncle Hammer, his Packard symbolizes the freedom and equality he enjoys up North, compared to when he lived in the South. Before Uncle Hammer’s visit, Mr. Granger is the only one in the area to own such a nice car. To Mama and Big Ma, the Packard is a more troubling symbol—it represents Uncle Hammer’s willingness to take risks and his need to show the white people in Strawberry and the surrounding county that he is their equal. Readers are able to see both aspects of this symbol and also what the car means to the Logan children and to Mr. Granger. In other words, the Packard is a more complicated and meaningful symbol for readers than for any one character.