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Literary Symbolism In Shelter By Harlan Coben

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The novel Shelter by Harlan Coben is a book regarding a boy discovering a mystery that was hidden from him. The protagonist of this book is a kid named Mickey Bolitare. Mickey witnesses his father’s death so he is now living with his uncle Myron unwillingly. His life falls apart, but until he meets Ashley. Ashley is a newbie in school like him, and he soon from feelings for her. Ashley was the reason his life was livable; until she disappears without a trace. He won't let anyone else leave him, he's lost too much already. On his search for Ashley he meets the Bat Lady who tells him his father is in fact still alive. But Mickey watched his father die right in front of him. With this information he breaks into her house and finds nothing. Except for a symbol that he has now seen everywhere. A butterfly. Now his mind is storming with thoughts of if his father really is alive. He continues his search, and he won’t stop until he knows the truth. In the novel, Shelter by Harlan Coben the author uses multiple literary elements such as symbolism, conflict and foreshadowing. The first literary element the author utilizes is symbolism. When Mickey Bolitar first breaks into the Bat Lady’s house, (who is also known as the strange old woman everyone is afraid, and who also never comes out of her house.) As he walks through Bat lady's house he encounters a black and white photograph of four people with t-shirt’s that had a butterfly on it. He repeatedly see’s the butterfly symbol
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