Stamp Collecting

Stamp collecting symbolizes childlike innocence and wonder. The protagonist and main point-of-view character in the novel, Philip, is an avid stamp collector. Philip describes stamp collecting as one of the main methods by which he gained knowledge of the world as a young boy. Soon after Lindbergh becomes President and anti-Semitism begins to rise in America, Philip has a dream that his stamps were covered with swastikas, thus symbolizing the corruption of American ideals by fascist powers. Philip ultimately loses his stamp collection, thus symbolizing the loss of innocence that Philip experiences during the tribulations of the narrative.

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company

The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company symbolizes dignity and enfranchisement in America. Despite the fact that Herman Roth must work long hours at the company in order to support his family, he is happy to have steady employment, and he views that job as...