Name
Gil’s Furniture Bought & Sold
Date
Copy Master
Text Analysis
Symbol
When a person, place, or thing stands for something beyond itself, it is called a
symbol. Writers often use symbols to quickly communicate complex ideas. For
example, a sunrise can symbolize a new beginning, or a rose can stand for love. To
recognize a symbol, ask yourself these questions:
•What object appears repeatedly?
•How do the characters react to this object?
•What big ideas does the story address, and how does this object relate to them?
Gil’s Furniture Bought & Sold
Directions: Answer the questions in the chart to show how an important object is
used as a symbol in “Gil’s Furniture Bought and Sold.”
What object is important to the story?
Copyright © Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
How do the characters react to this object?
What big idea does the story address?
What does the object symbolize?
Resource Manager
Unit 4
Grade 8
21