As Thomas Foster states in How to Read Lit Like a Professor, anything can be a symbol, but it can be hard trying to figure out what each symbol represents. Lauren Oliver has included many symbols throughout her novel; 4 of the most important which include birds, cows, the Fence, and running. When Alex is talking to Lena about how he tried to create his new identity in Portland, he calls Portland a cage and says: |
"I liked to watch the birds. They would lift of from our side and soar over the Wild, as easily as anything. Back and forth, back and forth, lifting and curling through the air. I could watch them for hours at a time. Free: they were totally free. I'd thought that nothing and nobody was free in Portland, but I was wrong. There were always the birds" (229).
"Birds have always been a symbol of freedom and the possibility of escape. I think I've been fixated with birds as symbolic creatures since I first watched The Wizard of Oz, in which Dorothy sings about happy bluebirds being able to soar away beyond the rainbow, and expresses a with to do so herself. And Delirium is thematically very concerned with ideas of constraint and stability versus freedom and choice."
This quote metaphorically explains how Lauren Oliver portrays Lena; Lena is portrayed as a bird who will finally escape her cage (the Fence surrounding Portland). In an interview, Lauren was asked was the symbolism of birds was. She stated:
Another symbol in Delirium are the cows that swarm Lena during her original Evaluation. This symbolizes the rebellious nature of the Invalids who are against the Evaluation as they see it as brainwashing of individuals. The cows say words like LOVE and NOT CURED. The cows are used to convince people that the government isn't as perfect as it seems.
"Now I get it: The cows are dressed up as us, the people being evaluated. Like we're all a bunch of herd animals" (37).
The Fence surrounding Portland is
also a symbol of repression and imprisonment. The citizens of Portland think that the Fence surrounding them protects them from the dangers outside the Fence, such as the Wilds and the Invalids. In reality (as Lena later realizes), the Fence is used a cage to imprison people so that they don't have ideas of leaving or love. This shows how the government brainwashes the people to believe what the government wants so they it can control and manipulate the people inside the Fence. However, the Fence does have its flaws: Alex explains to Lena that the Fence is not electrified all the way. There are some parts that are not electrified; Invalids use this portion of the Fence to cross the border from time to time. Many people either do not know this or don't use this to their advantage because they are afraid of getting killed. This is an example of how this oppressive government uses fear to control its people. The following quotes explain how Lena realizes everything she knew was a lie.
also a symbol of repression and imprisonment. The citizens of Portland think that the Fence surrounding them protects them from the dangers outside the Fence, such as the Wilds and the Invalids. In reality (as Lena later realizes), the Fence is used a cage to imprison people so that they don't have ideas of leaving or love. This shows how the government brainwashes the people to believe what the government wants so they it can control and manipulate the people inside the Fence. However, the Fence does have its flaws: Alex explains to Lena that the Fence is not electrified all the way. There are some parts that are not electrified; Invalids use this portion of the Fence to cross the border from time to time. Many people either do not know this or don't use this to their advantage because they are afraid of getting killed. This is an example of how this oppressive government uses fear to control its people. The following quotes explain how Lena realizes everything she knew was a lie.
"Something has just occurred to me. They've lied about everything - about the fence, and the existence of the Invalids, about a million other things besides. They told us the raids were carried out for our own protection. They told us the regulators were only interested in keeping the peace.
They told us that love was a disease. They told us it would kill us in the end.
For the very first time I realize that this, too, might be a lie." (280)
"If you don't look too closely, it's all right, but start focusing and all the smudges and mistakes become really obvious" (48).
Running is another symbol in Delirium as it is one of the only things Lena actually has control over in her life. She can run wherever she wants to in Portland, within boundaries, and whenever she wants to, as long as she comes how for curfew. This shows that even though it seems as though Lena has control over her life, she really doesn't because everything she says and does is limited. From the beginning until the end of the novel, it is clear that Lena is obsessed with running; it is the one thing she does best... and she is constantly doing it. Lena runs after her mother "dies," after her fight with Hana, and after regulators raid a party. The most important example of this is when she is running away with Alex and they are caught by regulators. As Alex holds back the regulators and guards, he tells her to do one thing: RUN. And that is exactly what she does. When Lena runs, she is free of her problems as she leaves them behind in the dust.