Symbols, Motifs, and Themes of Bless the Beasts and the Children :: essays research papers

Bless the Beast and the Children symbols, motifs, and themes essay In Bless the Beasts and the Children, symbols and motifs help progress the story and develop the theme that ?when faced with a certain situation, boys will do great things?. The boys can use symbols and motifs to help them get through obstacles without giving up and acheive their goal. The boys also give up symbols and motifs they used for comfort or stability that they no longer need because of their independence and maturity. All of the boys carry around a radio, hat, and flashlight which each symbolize how the boys rely on physical things to soothe their emotional distress. The radios give the boys a sense of security when they?re afraid. The hats symbolize shelter for the boys away from the society. The flashlights symbolize a comforting presence when they?re alone. These items all symbolize the boys? immaturity in the beginning which helps progress the story by how the boys can throw them away at the end and declare their maturity and emotional stability. This symbol helps develop the theme because they are faced with the situation of being alone when they?re not stable enough to be dependent on themselves so they use these things to replace that feeling. The gates that constrain the buffalo in their pens symbolize a barrier or obstacle that the boys have to face to get one step closer to their goal. The boys have to solve many conflicts to get their freedom and the buffalo have to get through the gates to get theirs. The buffalo is a motif representing the boys and their struggle not only for freedom but to find themselves and find happiness in society. The gates help progress the story because it is the final challenge the boys have to overcome before completing their goal and gaining independence. This symbol helps develop the theme because it shows that the boys didn?t back out, faced up to the challenge and got what they wanted. Cotton symbolizes the boys? dependency, insecurities, and innocence. Cotton is a vital role in the book because he is a father like figure to the boys that they can fall back on when they uncover obstacles and feel distressed, he can comfort them. The boys are very dependent on Cotton?s wisdom and knowledge throughout the whole story because the boys are still children and need someone to support them, and they are very insecure about themselves and think that they need Cotton.