In Thomas C. Foster’s short essay “Is That a Symbol?” he discusses the many symbols and ideas that are conveyed in texts throughout history and how symbols often have different meanings and interpretations. This is an interesting concept that he chose to examine because symbols are almost always used in literature and the meanings of those symbols are important as the author is trying to further an idea or concept to the reader in order to enhance his or her’s writing. When close reading the text “Is That a Symbol?” it becomes apparent that Foster is trying to further the idea that symbols are not only a vital part of writing, but also a lot of the time the meanings of those symbols are usually up to the interpretation of the reader. This makes the literature that much more timeless as people will discuss their interpretations, and someone’s own interpretations of symbols can tell a lot about the person’s way of thinking.

Foster begins his essay discussing how it is often easy to find symbols in texts but the next part of determining what that symbol means is where it starts to become difficult. Foster states in his essay, “It’s the next question where things get hairy: what does it mean, what does it stand for? …I usually come back with something clever, like ‘Well, what do you think?’… Seriously, what do you think it stands for, because that’s probably what it does” (Foster 18). This is an important concept because Foster is saying that the meanings of symbols are often left to the interpretation of the reader. This causes symbols to have many different meanings from reader to reader, and as a whole makes the text much more wholesome as readers of the text will discuss their opinions on what they think those symbols mean.  

Foster also chose to talk about how sometimes authors do not always have intended meanings for their symbols, and quite frequently they let the reader decide what the symbol could and should mean. This not only allows for multiple interpretations on a single symbol, but also can tell a lot about an individual’s way of thinking. He discusses this by stating, 

“What the cave symbolizes will be determined to a large extent by how the individual reader engages the text. Every reader’s experience of every work is unique, largely because each person will emphasize various elements to differing degrees, and those differences will cause certain features of the text to become more or less pronounced” (Foster 21). 

When an author chooses to not have an intended meaning, this usually allows for the text to become much stronger as the discussions on the symbols and their meanings can go on for generations as new ideas and other perspectives are introduced. Additionally, an individual’s own interpretations can provide an insight into the personality, way of thinking, and values/morals of that individual. Foster discusses this idea as well when he states, “we bring an individual history to our reading, a mix of previous readings... educational attainment, gender, race, class, faith, social involvement, and philosophical inclination” (Foster 21). These are all factors that can influence someone’s interpretation, so when someone gives their input on what the symbol means, it can provide a bit of insight on where they are coming from. This is what makes the discussions on symbols so interesting as its not just a discussion on the book, but it can also be a method to learn more about those who contribute to the discussion. As a whole, by discussing the meanings of symbols with other people, this allows for the text to be more timeless, as well as potentially discover interesting information about other people.

One part of the essay that furthered this idea was when Foster examined the many interpretations of the Mississippi River in Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Foster begins by saying that “the river is both danger and safety, since the relative isolation from land and detection is offset by the perils of river travel on a makeshift conveyance” (Foster 21-22). He drew this conclusion from noticing that the Mississippi River’s flooding caused the multiple deaths to livestock and people, most notably to Huck’s father, and also that it was carrying Huck and Jim further south. Furthermore, he understood that it represented safety as it allowed them to literally run away from any problems or issues they may encounter, and it also kept them isolated from everyone else whenever they were on the raft. He also noticed that “the river/raft provides a platform for on which Huck, a white boy, can get to know Jim not as a slave but as a man” (Foster 22). This opportunity for communication between the two main characters also allows for Huck to grow as a person and mature, which Foster points out in his essay. By describing three different interpretations for a single symbol, Foster proves that symbols can have more than one meaning and that the possible interpretations can be almost infinite.  

Its intriguing enough that Foster is able to discover three different interpretations of the Mississippi River, but it is more interesting that he decides to discuss these three for his essay, meaning that he probably thinks these are important to the story. This also provides insight about Foster’s background and what he seems to value as a reader and writer. Since he points out that Huck’s father was killed by the flooding of the Mississippi, and also that the raft allowed for Huck and Jim to communicate with each other frequently, he clearly seems to value relationships and the effects they have on people. Anyone who loses their father at a young age is probably going to be affected in some way, as a mother and father are two of the most important influences a child can have. Additionally, by being stuck with an unfamiliar person whom has a completely different social status compared to Huck, that will most likely have some sort of effect on his maturity. Foster most likely pointed this out because he might have had an outside influence on his life when he was a child, and that could have helped him mature similarly to Huck. He also could have lost a family member growing up, making him have to look for an outside influence as Huck had to. That influence could have helped him grow into the person he is today, so this could have been an easy parallel to discover as he might have went through a similar experience. By adding this piece to his essay, he allows the reader to use the tools he previously stated in order to examine his way of thinking. This gives the reader some quick practice on the importance of looking at the interpretations of symbols and trying to figure out why they came to that conclusion on what the symbol means. 

When Foster discussed the uses of symbols in his text, “Is That a Symbol?” he was clearly trying to show not only the importance of using symbols in literature but also how important the interpretations of those symbols are. He discussed that how even though the symbols used in a text can have one meaning to someone, it could have completely different meaning for someone else. He also discussed that by having the meaning of the symbols be up to the reader’s interpretation, it makes the text that much more special as the discussions on the meanings of those symbols can continue for years to come as new interpretations are introduced. Symbols and their interpretations can also help provide insight into someone’s background and way of thinking, and this can help encourage more discussions on symbols and their meanings so that people can learn more about each other when discussing literature. 
