Symbolism In Ready Player One

There comes a time in everyone's life where they need an eye-opener. People blind themselves and come up with coping mechanisms to shield them from what is truly going on around them. Whether it be an abusive household, a life of poverty, or even just the feeling of unhappiness that they are hiding from. In the novel Ready Player One, throughout the novel, there is one object that holds a certain amount of significance to the story as a whole- the key. There are keys placed in this alternative world called the OASIS that lets an individual be whoever they want to be in which our main character Wade engulfs himself in and he is left to find them in their hidden places. These keys open up new stages and gates that will move him to the next level
He manages to dodge all the traps and things in the Tomb of Horrors advancing him to meet Acererak. Even though he has it in the back of his mind that he will be killed Wade still tells Acererak that he came for the Copper Key. Instead of physically having to beat him he has to beat him at Joust. He loses the first round but luckily it is best two out of three for the win of the Copper Key. He is better at playing on the player one spot on the left, so he requests that they switch spots when the spots are switched Wade does so much better in fact he wins and gets the Copper Key and a riddle to where the copper gate is. The Copper Key can be viewed as a symbol of Wade getting the key to his ability to finally stand up to a problem considering he always manages to hide from the issues in his real
The OASIS can almost be considered one big distraction for Wade it keeps him away from thinking about the poverty-stricken life he lives on a daily basis. The minor goals are to get the keys that unlock the gates that get him closer to Halliday's egg. The Keys keep him distracted from his daily life but the reality of the key is they are unlocking the gates to giving him a better view at life and gain the acceptance of what life is versus what it could be. For example, when Sorrento blew up Wade's trailer park that did not have to necessarily be a symbol of something bad. Maybe the Copper Keys are his first step into leaving the bad side of his life behind maybe he needs that jumpstart so when he does win he will not feel any attachment to the circumstances of which he grew up in. The Keys were no mistake and made his reality different in ways that are more than