The Rock and The River

The block tower is a symbol of progress and a representation of Sam’s childhood. It is a collaborative effort that grows over time, but it is also fragile and vulnerable to destruction. Sam is bothered when he finds that Stick used the tower to hide his gun, saying, “The tower seemed ugly now. Violated. All because of Stick, the one person I thought cared about what we had built as much as I did” (82). And Sam destroys the tower after Stick dies, noting “It meant nothing without him” (262). The tower also remains half-destroyed through much of the story, signifying Sam’s disillusionment.

The gun is a symbol of power and violence. Sam says, “The dark metal seemed to gaze back at me, threatening even in its stillness. I could practically hear the twisted shout that was locked inside, waiting to be triggered, released” (81). The gun also evidences the duality of power as both positive and negative. The same gun that Sam uses to save Stick at the demonstration is what ends up leading to Stick’s death.