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Symbolism In I M The King Of The Castle

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In the novel “I’m the King of the Castle” Susan Hill strongly uses symbolism as a device to convey these two themes: confinement and escape. These settings: the shed, the Red Room and Hang Wood while representing the themes themselves, also unravel aspects of different characters toward those respective themes. From here, the next three paragraphs will analyze how, in what way does each setting symbolizes the aforementioned themes. The shed is use as Hooper’s tool to repress Kingshaw, therefore, it is clear: the shed strongly embodies confinement. Firstly, the isolated surroundings as well as its hidden position, coupled with the padlock that guards the door, indeed this setting is some forbidden place. Especially with attention to the rusted padlock as it indicates significantly of Kingshaw’s forbidden freedom. In this …show more content…

The Red Room is a tool to show off the family’s social status and wealth as it contained many valuable properties, passing down from generations to generations. In addition, the Hooper’s members were all shown to be very materialistic and have great obsession over power, such as Edmund and Joseph Hooper. Evidently, the Hoopers start to throw away any of their humane qualities and became slaves to riches, slaves to the Red Room. Hang Wood, interestingly, symbolizes both confinement and escape. This setting undoubtedly, represents entrapment as it has lock Kingshaw up. However, it is here where Kingshaw seeks out for his freedom and his suicidal death here in end could possibly connote to him finally achieve that freedom… The name “Hang Wood” gives off a grim and dark feeling as “Hang” symbolizes death and would associate with the act of being tied up. The nature in the wood as well, depict as: “scarcely any air at all” (p.79) and “the leaves were too thick to let much light in” (p.75) all exhibit us a suffocated and strained

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