Christina Houck - Symbolism in The World Made Straight

The World Made Straight has been my favorite novel so far.  Then again, I suppose it is as Chbosky said in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, “It is now my favorite book of all time, but then again, I always think that until I read another book” (Chbosky 9).  I loved Rash’s ability to set scene.  His descriptions of the land and nature that surrounds the characters are enchanting.   And although I lack the personal connection to the characters that I’ve made in previous novels, my interests lie beyond the characters.  I found the most interesting part of the book to be the symbolisms that are scattered throughout the entire novel.  There were many recurring symbols, but my favorites came with the color yellow, weather, and the surrounding environment. 

The color yellow appears in many forms throughout the book.  It appears as Dena’s yellow suitcase (178), the yellowhammers’ feathers (6), and the reappearing yellow bruises (I can’t find a page number for these).  It’s almost as if the color represents the bad things that result in hope.  The suitcase could be seen as a rough decision to leave that resulted in a hope to find a better place.  The yellowhammers’ feathers were mainly collected after the bird died, but gave hope to find a way to feed the family.  And every time a yellow bruise appears, it comes from a bad decision, but has the hope of moving on, not repeating the mistake.  Even the rays of sun that were often described during the sunrise gave the connotation that each day was a new hope. 

The weather also played a point in the novel, matching the circumstance of the situations surrounding the characters.  The more extreme the weather, the worse the situation was.  When Travis decided to go steal the marijuana plants for the final time, the weather was described as very “hot and humid” (31).  The heat warned of the danger he faced appearing again.  Again the warning of heat appeared when Toomey showed up at Leonard’s to tell him of Travis’s attempt to steal the plants.  Leonard notes, “Today had been the hottest of the summer…” (47).  In the winter, the extreme cold took place of the heat.  The Shelton Laurel massacre occurred on a freezing and snowy day.  The same was true when Leonard confronted Carlton at Shelton Laurel, when trying to buy time for Travis and Dena.  The only exception was that it was raining, instead of snowing, noticed when Carlton “shielded the flame from the rain and lit his cigarette” (271).  It seems that the weather matched each situation in extremity, regardless of the season.

Finally, the surrounding environment often played a role in symbolism as well.  For example, a watermark often appeared in Leonard’s bedroom ceiling when it rained.  I view this as a stain in Leonard’s life that only appears at his worst (like when it rains).  He even mentions that the watermark appeared to take the shape of “the rhinoceros-head outline of Australia” where his ex-wife and daughter had fled (56).  Leonard even mentions that the mountains he was born in represented fate themselves.  He talks about how people are always drawn back to the land they came from.  This is evident up until his final moments, where he is found at a river’s edge.  He talks so vividly about the environment and the river that marked his deathbed, explaining the feeling as the “water gathered beneath him, lifting the weight from his body, lifting him away from the pain as well” (283).  The river represents the movement of life.  Of how once things start a path they will travel it, even into death.

I chose to focus on Leonard because I feel like he is the pivotal character in this novel.  Nobody experiences as much pain and change as he does.  Travis is young and only thinks in the moment, but never in the long run.  Dena has given up on a future and lives as though there is nothing waiting for her.  Even though Lori makes a future for herself, she lacks the foresight that Leonard has.  It’s almost as if Travis isn’t even the main character in the story, and I love that about Leonard.  His insight, intellect, and persistence to make something better of the people around him is inspirational to me.