The Burned Books

The burned books symbolize the loss of a great deal of Jewish wisdom. William talks about the way that the destruction of a single book is like the loss of several lives. He says this because the work of many people goes into creating a book, particularly in medieval times when books were copied by hand.

Gwenforte's Death

Gwenforte’s death is a symbol of needing to learn more about a person or a situation before jumping to conclusions, which is one of the author’s central themes. Because Jeanne’s parents did not look beyond the blood on Gwenforte’s coat, they assumed she had harmed Jeanne when she had actually saved her.

Etienne's Knife

Etienne’s knife is a symbol of his indecision about what to do with the children. He holds the knife while the children sleep and he thinks about...