Rules of the Road - Symbolism Poem

Jenna's job, a safety place

Free from problems

Enjoyable and easy

Mrs. Gladstone, a Cadillac

dying, being worn away

Being replaced and losing control

Jenna's life, the road trip

Unknown obstacles

A learning opportunity during both

Symbolism in Rules of the Road

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines 'symbol' as: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially : a visible sign of something invisible <the lion is a symbol of courage>. Using that definition, I looked though Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer. There are important symbols in Rules of the Road.

The first symbol I found was Jenna's job. I thought it represented a safety place for her. One reason is that she is good at it. Jenna can forget everything and just sell shoes. Another reason is that no one there really knows about her problems. She doesn't have to worry about her alcoholic father. Lastly, she likes it, which makes it an ideal place for her.

Another symbol I found was the Cadillac. It represents Mrs. Gladstone. They are both all over and being worn away on the road or in life. Also they are somewhat dying and losing control. Things are replacing them, like new cars and Elden.

The last symbol I found was the road trip. Their road trip can represent Jenna's life. She does not know what she will encounter in either the trip or her life. Because of this, she also learns things on the road as well as in her life (page 113).

Symbols are in books to illustrate a deeper meaning. Instead of just a car, we can see Mrs. Gladstone. The road trip depicts Jenna's life. Finally, Jenna's job represents her safe place. As you can see, the symbols in Rules of the Road are important.

Greed - Treasure Island

When I think of pirates, a few things pop into my mind. I think of boats, swords, and adventures. But what are pirates all about? What is their goal? They're all about the treasure. This may affect their actions very much like in the book, Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

There is a common theme throughout this book. Greed takes hold of the pirates, changing their behavior. The crew at the beginning, sets out to find treasure on Treasure Island. The crew is made up of some pirates. Pirates, of course, want the treasure.

One place were greed was at a maximum is when the pirates rebelled against the remaining crew. Only the squire, captain, doctor, Jim, and a few other of the crew, were left. They wanted this treasure and didn't want to share it. There is no doubt that if they had gotten the treasure, they would have killed each other for it.

Another area we find greed in is the constant fighting between the pirates and the rest of the crew. The pirates wanted the chart, or map, and killed people to get it. They also wanted the stockade which was hard to attack because of the open space. The stockade was in possession of the loyal party. Throughout the rest of the book, it is pirates vs. loyalists.

As the pirates near the treasure burial site, "Their eyes burned in their heads; their feet grew speedier and lighter; their whole soul was found up in that fortune, that whole lifetime of extravagance and pleasure…" (page 265) Do you see how much they wanted the treasure?

In the end, it cost about twenty lives of the people who set out to find the treasure in the first place. Was it really worth it? Twenty lives? Even though the pirates worked together, they were each fighting for themselves. They were so wrapped up with greed, they killed others, some of whom used to be part of a crew long before this. Greed changes your actions and thinking, and is definitely a theme throughout this book.

Rules of the Road

Rules of the road is being told from Jenna, the main character's point of view. This is important because we get to know how she feels about things. If this changed, we might not understand how she really feels about personal things like her dad being an alcoholic. This book takes place on the road. Starting in Chicago, where Jenna lives, she drives the owner of the Gladstone's company to Texas. On the way they stop at different Gladstone shoe stores to check how they're doing. This setting gets Jenna thinking. She wonders why their aren't road signs in life. Signs to tell you to watch out for jerks and when you're doing something right. If the setting stayed in Chicago she wouldn't really be thinking about these things.