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Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Phoenix

Phoenix is the protagonist, but she is also a symbol in the story. Phoenix’s name is evocative of the mythical bird that continually goes through trials of fire to be reborn from the ashes. Phoenix Jackson shares many characteristics with the phoenix. Though her exact age is not known, it’s clear she’s nearly a century old, and her longevity is evocative of the phoenix’s immortality. In the same way that the phoenix is continually reborn, so does Phoenix make the journey to the hospital again and again. Phoenixes are also associated with Christ and his resurrection, underscoring the Christian undertones of the story.

The Paper Windmill

The paper windmill that Phoenix is determined to obtain for her grandson represents the beauty and fragility of hope. Phoenix sacrifices her dignity and risks her life to get two nickels to purchase the paper windmill. Unlike the medicine, the paper windmill is not a strict necessity, and in the confined world of Phoenix and her grandson, the humble gift might even be called an extravagance. Phoenix sacrifices so much for the paper windmill to show her grandson there is beauty in the world, to give him a sense of hope. However, the windmill is made of paper, and Phoenix is going to carry it “in her free hand” as she repeats her arduous journey to get home to her grandson. The story ends with a sense both of Phoenix’s hope for the future and how fragile that hope is in the face of all the obstacles to come.

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