Symbol: Something that has more than a simple literal meaning to it.
Example: “A CD fell out and landed on the floor...What the hell is this? One way to find out. I hurried upstairs and booted up my computer” (127). Coben, Harlan. No Second Chance. New York: New American Library, 2004. Print.
Function: The CD that the protagonist, Doctor Marc Seidman, found within a hidden bag in his basement symbolizes the lack of trust that there actually was between him and his wife, Monica. The CD was hidden not only in a bag, but in a bag that was hidden in a hard-to-reach area within Marc Seidman’s basement. The use of the CD as symbolism within this passage in the novel is significant because the author is making it clear that