Into The Wild, The Life Of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave

Symbolism in American Literature

In American Literature or any type of literature, the author may use symbols to represent a distinct concept. Types of symbols could include: colors, water, fire, seasons, etc. In this paper symbolism will be pulled from Into the wild by Jon Krakauer, The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. These three works of literature are all influenced by the concept explained in How to read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. Into the wild, Krakauer’s nonfiction, biography is about a young traveler, Chris McCandless, who sets out on an adventure to pursue his dreams by hitchhiking to Alaska. Throughout his journey, Chris offers a few symbolic elements. At the beginning of his journey, Chris burns his money as a symbol of his detachment from society. “One hundred twenty-three dollars in legal tender was promptly reduced to ash and smoke.”(Krakauer 29) Chris essentially wanted to get rid of everything he had and start fresh. Another symbol from Into The Wild would be the bus. The bus is where McCandless’s body was discovered, the bus alludes to his journey across North

For starters, the voodoo doll found on Elizabeth Proctor’s shelf is a symbol of evil and witchcraft. “Hale: Mary Warren, a needle have been found inside this poppet. Mary Warren, bewildered: Why, I meant no harm by it, sir.” (Act 2)Another symbol in The Crucible is the title itself. A crucible is a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new. A Crucible is also a metal container in which hot substances are melted to high temperatures, therefore, the title The Crucible could symbolize that Abigail is a hot substance being poured on all the other characters. The Crucible represents a mixture of fear, love, hatred and false