Warings House Symbol
To Edmund, the house is a symbol of family and of his own stature as a person with history. To the village, the house is a symbol of social status. Warings is a symbol of position and the Hoopers only became "somebodies" in the village after the construction of the house. The Hoopers did not come from old money and have only lived at Warings for one hundred years, and so needed the house to symbolize their arrival as important, and gentrified, residents there.
Moth Symbol
The Hoopers are recreational entomologists and own a vast collection of moths displayed behind glass cases. The moths are a symbol of the natural world, and of the cycle of birth, life and death. They are also a symbol of the fact that the natural world has been taken over and partially destroyed by man.
The Red Room Symbol
The Red Room symbolizes danger and mystery, especially to Charles who is quite frightened by it. The Red Room is shut off from the rest of the house and the boys' different reactions to it are also a symbol of their different characters. For Edmund, the Red Room is something to be deciphered. He wants to find out more about it, and why it is separated from the rest of the home. Charles, on the other hand, is frightened of its formality and austere appearance, which symbolizes his feelings towards the house in general and his feelings of being threatened.
Crows Symbol
Crows, and birds in general, are a symbol of fear and anxiety, symbolizing the way in which Charles feels the whole time he lives at Warings. He is particularly terrified of crows having been attacked by one. Edmund leaves a large stuffed crow in Charles' bed as a symbol of his power over him and this actually has the effect of giving Charles a fear paralysis and he is unable to move because he is so terrified. The crow symbolizes the fact that Edmund will always find a way in which to terrorize him.
Leydell Castle Symbol
The castle is a symbol of the constant battle for domination between the two boys. On the face of it, a day out at the castle seems like a lot of fun, but Edmund and Charles spend the entire day trying to use the castle in order to gain a kind of victory over each other. They try to scale the castle walls before the other, symbolizing that they will never stop competing and trying to win at all costs.
