In the play Joe Turner's Come and Gone, by August Wilson, symbolism plays a very important part in conveying the true meaning of the story to the reader. August Wilson uses symbolism to suggest an intangible condition or truth about the characters in Joe Turner's Come and Gone, and as the story progresses each symbol accrues complexity beyond the original meaning. August Wilson's complex use of symbolism is grossly demonstrated through Mr. Wilson's use of the road, Martha Pentecost, and Herald Loomis.

Some of the first and most significant references to the road are discussed very early in the play. The character Bynum Walker is telling the story of the shiny man, and the secret of life to Rutherford Selig when Bynum makes several significant references to the road. Bynum says, "I wandered around there looking for that road, trying to find...