Symbolism In Alice

In the final scenes of the novel symbolism was evident. The last time that Dana is transported to 1815 Rufus made Alice believe that he sold their children because Alice (after being forced into slavery) tried to escape. Filled with sorrow and grief due to the loss of her freedom accompanied by the loss of both of her children, Alice hung herself. In actuality their children were with Rufus’ aunt in Baltimore. In Rufus’ denial of being responsible for Alice’s death he tries to rape Dana after she convinced him to not commit suicide. His logic being, “You’re so much like her, I can hardly stand it… You and her. One woman. Two halves of a whole,” (pages 553-554). Rufus in his last moments was, “... erratic, alternately generous and vicious,” (page 560). Dana said this before she stabbed him in the side and back. He screamed, groaned and assumably died. Then, where Rufus’ fingers once lay, her left arm was absorbed by a cold, nonliving plaster which became her living room wall. The wall engulfed her elbow to her finger tips and even though it was painful she pulled until it turned into red agony, her body racked with her screams.

He often forced her to do things that were wrong as he used and abused her. His grip was firm, like the wall, because he had an unhealthy love for her and never wanted her to leave. His raging jealousy caused an innocent slave who only wanted his siblings to have an education to be sold, and almost resulted in the death of her husband. The similarities shared between the white wall and Rufus were their color, their heartlessness and their hold on Dana. Even though it was painful Dana had to kill Rufus to release his hold on her, the same way she had to free herself from the