Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe is certainly the hero of the story that bears his name as the title, but let’s face it: no matter how things go, you know he is not going to wind up sitting on the throne of England. The novel is a Romantic idealization of the period of British history in which it is set and so Ivanhoe’s real function is to become the symbolic realization of that idealization.
The Castle at Torquilstone
In the absence of King Richard, Prince John is a very poor substitute. England has been suffering from the slings and arrows of either his incompetence or evil cunning and many events directly related that evil has taken place within the walls of the castle at Torquilstone. As such, it is the symbol of everything that most in England was desperately to avoid and turn their backs on .
Robin Hood
In a world where the stabilizing presence of King Richard is absent and in its place is the gross corruption and incompetence of his brother and his minions, the very concept of depending upon the monarchy system alone to ensure great leadership and equitable economics could not help but come under deep suspicion. Standing in stark contrast to the inefficient mode of corrupt governance of Prince John is the smoothly running outlaw proto-democracy of Robin Hood and his men.
Rebecca
Rebecca is a complex character laden with potential for symbolic import due to her being Jewish and also being accused of witchcraft. Her increasingly intensifying status as outsider that culminates with her rejection of the offer of jewelry and her not winding up marrying Ivanhoe all part of a larger symbolic meaning, however. In a novel positively dripping with idealistic portrayals of the age of chivalry, Rebecca is the symbolic center of anti-chivalry thought. She actively points out its flaws and defects and stands as evidence that it really just isn’t working as intended.
The Feast
Following all the revelations of secret identities and the revelation that Robin Hood is not really so much an outlaw to be hunted down after all, a feast is quickly arranged. Such a feast has a long history of symbolizing the union or reunion of divided parties or interests and her is the final symbolic stamp on the story’s implicit promise that the time of instability and fear experienced under Prince John while Richard was away will come to a satisfying end.
