Ghost is filled with symbolism which is helpful for students to analyze to gain a deeper understanding of the characters and their journey. The symbols in this book will come alive when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify and explain symbols from the novel, supporting their choices with details from the text.
The two pairs of shoes in the book both lead to turning points for Castle. His first pair is shabby and he feels as though they are holding him back from doing his best as a runner. He cuts them, but ends up enduring more humiliation by doing so. This propels him to steal the second pair of shoes—the silver bullets. The fact that they are nicknamed bullets can be seen as a parallel to his father’s criminal act of attempted shooting. Castle’s crime of shoplifting the shoes eventually gets him in trouble, but also leads to a revelation that turns his life around.
Sunflowers are said to symbolize loyalty. The sunflower seeds symbolize Ghost's enduring friendship with Mr. Charles, the shopkeeper who hid Ghost and his mom. He has always believed in Castle and encourages him. The ritual of buying them and meditatively eating them gives a sense of grounding and calm in Castle's life. They also symbolize Castle's dad who ate them often when Castle was a child.
Castle's room symbolizes the night his father tried to shoot him and his mother. Castle hasn't been able to sleep in his room since the night his mother awoke him and rushed him out of the house to escape his father. The last he heard were gunshots as they ran out the door. When he enters his room he is transported back to the trauma of that night.
The sound of the gunshot from that traumatic night is seared into Castle's memory. He says that "that was the night I learned how to run." At the end of the novel, Castle discovers that a gunshot is how they start races in track. But this sound now can symbolize more than running away from something terrible; running towards something positive.
Other symbols in Ghost:
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies recurring symbols found in Ghost. Illustrate each symbol and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
Requirements:
As you read a story with your students, help them to identify symbols that the author has used to represent something beyond itself. If objects come up again and again in a story, they are even easier to identify.
Discuss ways for students to assign meaning to symbols and give them some helpful hints. For instance, colors carry symbolic meaning, as do vehicles and animals. Helping students develop a toolbox of symbols will make it easier for them to find on their own.
A symbol is an object that represents something beyond itself. It has both a literal and figurative meaning. For example, an American flag is just a piece of material, but it stands for freedom, patriotism, and sacrifice.
The sneakers are an important symbol in Ghost. When he cuts the first pair, they lead to humiliation. And then he steals the second pair which leads to trouble. They represent turning points in his life.
Authors use symbols to help readers understand deep truths in a story. They come back to symbols to highlight important elements and lessons in stories, and symbols give readers something concrete to understand.