Bees making noise in someone's brain, a bright red hat and a water pump in New York. There appears to be no connection between these objects, but they all have something in common; These are all symbols in the book Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this novel, Isabel and Curzon, two slaves from New York, are ready to escape slavery after being tormented by their cruel masters. But on their journey to escape, they encounter symbols that help them recognize their inner thoughts and feelings. Symbolism adds richer meaning to a story and gives the reader a sense of out-of-the-ordinary events using bees, Curzon's hat, and the tea water pump, among the most powerful images in Chains. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Exploring New York Historical Facts Using Symbolism Isabel's mood and feelings change quickly, as symbolically shown by the bees surrounding her. First of all, the bees not only show anger and confusion, they can also show that Isabel is refreshed. When she thought about joining the British: “The thought washed over her like a river, carrying away the dead bees that filled my brain with confusion. »(174) The river carrying away its dead bees means that its confusion is swept away. at the idea of ​​joining the British, which means she quickly changes mood from confused to refreshed and ready to join the British. Also, after the big fire, Isabel realizes that she lost Ruth's doll in the fire. The bees came back and hummed so loudly that she couldn't even think about the doll. As Ruth's doll is the only thing she has left, Isabel realizes that she has lost everything. And because she has lost everything, her emotions quickly shift from thoughts of staying alive in the fire to thoughts of her losses. Finally, when Madame tells Isabel that she cannot go to Bridewell Prison, she experiences a sudden change of feeling. Now that she could no longer go to prison and care for Curzon, "the ashes of sadness and the buzzing of the bees of my melancholy caused a storm within [her]." (246) The bees inside her caused a storm in her mind and suddenly changed her mood to melancholy. The bees inside Isabel show feelings using symbolism, but symbolism can also represent the health of a person or object, such as in the use of Curzon's red hat. Curzon's health is depicted symbolically through his red hat rather than his physical appearance. Before Curzon goes to the Battle of Long Island, his hat is bright red and he is confident about the battle. He feels energetic and happy about the situation and he wears a red hat which symbolizes his health. He is in good shape and his red cap proves that he is ready. But later, Curzon is captured in battle and he goes to prison. He is fragile and the only way for Isabel to recognize him is “[his] hat, closer to brown than red now”. (204-205) Since his hat is now brown, his health is deteriorating. When Curzon was healthy his hat was red, but now, defeated in battle, his hat turns brown. But it is in prison that Curzon's health is at its lowest. Dibdin, the new commander wears his hat and Curzon is close to death. He is lying on the ground and he doesn't even hear Isabel, who is right next to him. His hat isn't even on him, which means he's in very poor health. But once.