Little Rumple River

The Little Rumple River is a symbol of fairy tales. This river, which contains a form of Rumpelstiltskin’s name, makes Charlie believe that from the moment his mother was killed that he was fated to be a character in a fairy tale.

Gold

Gold is a symbol of greed. Gold is a frequent symbol of greed in fairy tales, like "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "King Midas and the Golden Touch." This story is no exception. Charlie feels the pull of greed when he considers the gold in Bowditch’s safe. He sees evidence of “gold-greed” (99) in Heinrich’s eyes and fears he may do something to harm Bowditch to get the gold. Polley has a similar gold greed, demonstrated when he breaks into Bowditch’s house during his funeral to steal the gold. Charlie overcomes the pull of gold while he is...