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Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
British Major Fred Caldwell
Fred Caldwell functions as a symbol of the mindless xenophobia and antisemitism the Jewish people have faced throughout their history. This hatred, and the violence against Jewish people that it precipitates, is at the core of all the major conflicts portrayed in Exodus. Caldwell’s sneering aloofness and cruelty represent the attitude and actions of the British, the Nazis, the anti-Jewish Arabs, and all the other foes of the Jewish people through the ages. As Uris explains, the faces change, but the desire to marginalize and discriminate against Jewish people is always there. Fred Caldwell is the embodiment of that desire. Caldwell vocally champions the irrational and unjust oppression of the Jewish people by the British and German governments, and in fact calls for harsher mistreatment of the Jewish refugees. Caldwell’s mindless hatred is a stand-in for the mindset that made the brutal cruelty of the Holocaust possible, and which subsequently caused the internationally community to turn its back on the Jewish people of Europe after the war. Importantly, Caldwell is totally unrepentant and unchangeable. By presenting Caldwell as a symbol of antisemitism, Uris makes the case that antisemitism cannot be eradicated through debate and persuasion. Rather, it must be confronted, condemned, and ultimately destroyed. For Uris, the War of Israeli Independence makes that possible, as symbolized in the novel by Major Caldwell’s death at the hands of Israeli freedom fighters.
Exodus and other Mossad ships
The Mossad Aliyah Bet ships—which are full of immigrants that come from all corners of the world—represent freedom and victory for the Jewish people. When a ship reaches Palestine, it is not just the passengers that achieve a victory; it is a triumph for all Jewish people who have been forced to disperse across the world for thousands of years. The novel details the oppression that Jewish people have suffered throughout the centuries, beginning with their dispersal to lands outside Palestine. This exile is not just a physical one but also has personal and religious implications because the Jewish people are removed from the land to which they feel an innate connection. Returning to Israel means that Israelis again have a home. Against all odds, the immigration ships give Israelis the opportunity to live as a free people on their own land with dignity and pride. Each successful Mossad ship represents the continued success and survival of the Jewish people.
