Seamus's Poem

Seamus's poem is symbolic of trauma. Throughout the majority of his time in the poetry program, Seamus has scoffed at his classmates' seeming obsession with writing about their pain and sorrow. Ultimately, Seamus ends up doing the same, and produces his first authentic piece of writing. The poem is an outpouring of what he has suffered and an attempt to find catharsis for it.

Bert

Bert's character is symbolic of abuse. No matter with whom Bert is interacting, he is aggressive and violent. This is due to the fact that Bert's father was aggressive with him. His unresolved trauma, therefore, has caused him to inflict pain upon others. The author uses his character to reveal the dangerous cycles of abuse, if left unattended.

Dance

For the characters in the Iowa dance program, dance is symbolic of transformation. Dance not only helps the characters to speak...