41 pages • 1 hour read
Elisa CarboneBlood on the River
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Legs and Hands
During the voyage to the New World, Captain Smith uses his body to communicate important messages to others. This motif signifies the importance of nonverbal communication, a mode of exchanging information that does not rely on words. When Captain Smith wants to teach Samuel a lesson about cooperation, he forces Samuel to stand on one foot, demonstrating the impossibility of self-reliance in certain situations and showing Samuel what his own body can teach him. Another time, Captain Smith uses his hands to communicate with a native, covering his heart with his hand in a universal gesture of friendliness. Later in the novel, the men must use their hands and legs in a physical sense to build their homes, which emphasizes the importance of working together.
The Glass Beads
The English colonists use glass beads to trade for food with the natives of the New World; though the beads appear small, they have great value. Without these beads, the surviving men may not have lasted as long as they did. The beads represent the survival of the colonists; they solved problems of hunger and, at times, alleviated the tension that existed between the natives and the colonists. From these beads, the reader learns that small objects can sometimes carry the most significant of meanings.
Virginia Laydon
The infant daughter of Ann and John Laydon becomes a symbol of hope and optimism as the novel comes to a peaceful conclusion. Her name and her youth represent the potential of the settlement of James Town to grow and become a thriving community. History shows that Virginia, both the child and the settlement, do indeed survive. As well, Virginia is a symbol of Samuel’s ever-increasing capacity for love and connection. His desperate attempt to save her life and that of her mother, Ann, reflects his attachment to the two of them. Samuel’s decision to do something as rash as to take the child to Point Comfort demonstrates his love for her.
