Fire Shaddow

How are symbols used in Fireshadow?

In the novel “Fireshadow” symbols are used in different ways and different contexts to suggest or represent something else without directly saying it. The symbols in “Fireshadow” add depth to the story and make you think about what’s happening.

This essay will examine the various ways in which symbols, such as fire, scars and the bush, are used for this purpose.

The main symbol used in “Fireshadow” is fire. It is used throughout the whole book to show death, loss, fear, destruction, growth and sterilization.

“But the flames were too hungry, too angry and the car was burning. Steel and rubber and glass and flesh melting together, popping and spluttering, and the heat forced him (Vinnie) back, though he pushed himself into it, again and again. Pain seared on the exposed skin of his face and arms. Her screaming grew faint as other arms reached around from behind, dragging him back into the cool darkness.” Pg 18

Vinnie loses his sister Katia in the car accident. She is burnt to death.

“His hands trembled as he struck the match and watched the tiny spark take hold, first of paper, then twigs. He held his breath; this was the first time since the accident that he’d been near fire, or even allowed himself to think about it. Already the heat was beginning to radiate and his scars tingled…The fire cast leaping shadows against the curtain of trees and Vinnie found himself staring, entranced. The dance of light on darkness was familiar, frighteningly so, and despite himself Vinnie was falling away.” Pg 15

Vinnie is constantly taken back to the night of the accident when he sees fire. It makes him think about losing Katia and not being able to save her.

“Cauterise, Erich. It is when you use a hot iron or flames to literally burn the infection out of the wound. It’s something we have to do occasionally, and also when we desperately need to stop some bleeding.” pg 36

Fire is used to cauterise GÐ"јnter’s stump after his leg is amputated. It shows that fire is not always bad but can be used to sterilize.

“вЂ?I’ve told you before, Erich, sometimes burning is all you can do.’

вЂ?But surely, doctor, the destructionвЂ¦Ð²Ð‚™

вЂ?This is true, and the destruction is often appalling. But the fire also brings life. Clears away the dead wood, makes room for new trees and plants. It’s a paradox, Erich. A terrible but purifying force.вЂ™Ð²Ð‚Ñœ Pg 180

The Australian bush needs fire to regenerate. This is shown in the bushfire at the POW camp where Erich is burnt trying to save Kaiser.

Another symbol frequently used in the book is the bush.

To Erich the bush is isolating and foreign.

“Erich studied the gnarled, reddish trunks that surrounded the camp. The forest was so different. Here, trees grew twisted and misshapen, prowling through undergrowth so thick and spiny that to venture into it without protective leggings was madness. Plants here would leap at you, snagging your clothes and hair, opening seams already ragged with wear. And the animals- the birds- it was as though they were laughing at you the whole while, screaming from the green shadows, mocking these strangers in all their alien hopelessness. Sitting on the hospital steps and looking out through the fence line, Erich longed for those warm summer afternoons in the forest, for the trees that shed their leaves with the onset of the cold, for the moist crackle of leaf litter below his feet.” Pg 71

The bush was a lot different to what he was accustomed to back in Germany. Erich felt that the Australian bush didn’t approve of him being there.

On the other hand, Erich felt at home in the bush.

“He glanced back towards the trees. The wall they formed was broken by patches of darkness- undergrowth not yet trodden flat. The path stretching away out of sight, an insignificant curve against the wild.” Pg 4

The bush enables Erich to escape from the real world. He is able to forget about the accident and his troubles at home with his parents. It gives him the space to work out exactly who is without pressure from other people.

The final symbol this essay will cover is scars. It is also quite commonly used throughout the book. Both Erich and Vinnie are scarred by fire while Marrinup was scarred by logging and people’s exploitation of the land.

“Vinnie