Symbolism In Ernest Hemingway's The Five People You Meet In Heaven

A symbol is an object or an idea that has a deeper meaning by the end of the story. In the The Five People You Meet in Heaven, symbols are used to represent the circle of life and the guilt we carry until we are forgiven. Eddie, a pier amusement park ride mechanic, dies in an accident while saving a little girl. He goes through heaven meeting five people who either impacted Eddie’s life, or Eddie impacted their life. Because The Five People You Meet in Heaven answers the question “What is the purpose of life” the Ferris Wheel and Eddie’s knee injury help answer the question. The symbols are also stay with Eddie throughout his journey through heaven. The main ride that is in every vision of Ruby Pier is the colossal Ferris wheel. However, this Ferris wheel represents more than just a ride where people both young and old can enjoy the view of the pier. The Ferris wheel also represents Eddie’s life and major years or scenes of his life, beginning with his childhood and down to his last days on Earth. For instance, Eddie and Marguerite go on their first date on the Ferris …show more content…
The Ferris wheel to the reader in the beginning of the story is just a regular old Ferris wheel that Eddie had to fix every once in awhile. By the end of the story, the reader can recognize that Ferris wheel represents Eddie’s life and all of the precious memories that Eddie has. One example of the precious memories include his first date is his future wife Marguerite. This memory is represented by the Ferris wheel because it is a major part of Eddie’s circle of life. In the beginning of the story, Eddie’s knee injury may not have been like much to the reader other than a simple injury. By the end of the story, the reader can understand that Eddie’s knee injury is the symbol for the guilt that Eddie had to carry throughout his