The Shack (Symbol)
In the Acknowledgements for The Shack, Young writes, "Most of us have our own grief, broken dreams, and damaged hearts, each of us our unique losses, our own 'shack.' I pray you find the same grace there that I did, and that the abiding presence of Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu will fill up your inside emptiness with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (252). This reveals to the reader that the shack was never intended to refer to a real, physical place, since Young references finding grace there himself, when it was the character Mack who supposedly visited. In further writing and interviews since the publication of The Shack, Young has clarified and elaborated on the symbol of the shack, which is intended to represent the trauma or pain many people have standing between them and God. By looking at the shack as a symbol, one can see that Mack had to return to and confront his trauma and even find God precisely there, and after that he was able to lead a life of love and trust.
The Tin Box (Symbol)
When Mack left home as a young boy, he took with him a "small tin box housing all his earthly treasures" (10), including a picture of his family, a baseball card, a small bottle of his mother's perfume, a needle and thread, a toy jet, and a little over $15. At this point of life, when Mack is forced to live on his own and independently grapple with his strong emotions, the tin box represents Mack's lack of a home and a family. Later in the book, the reader finds that Mack still has the tin box, but now he keeps a picture of Missy and the note from God inside. The tin box has come to represent the secrets and emotions Mack has bottled up inside because he is scared of hurting others or himself by revealing them. The tin box is not mentioned for most of Mack's time at the shack, but it appears in a significant way just as he is preparing to leave. Young writes, "Finally, Jesus stood and reached up to one of the shelves to bring down Mack's little tin box...Mack took it from Jesus and held it in his hands a moment. 'Actually, I don't think I'm going to need this anymore,' he said. 'Can you keep it for me? All my best treasures are now hidden in you anyway. I want you to be my life'" (238). This moment suggests that the tin box is something Mack only needed when he wanted to hide his thoughts, feelings, and memories; now that he has trust, he does not need a place to hide.
Trees (Motif)
Trees are a symbol in Christianity, with different kinds of trees representing different qualities and religious figures. In The Shack, there are two important moments that concern trees. The first is Mack's discussion of the Garden of Eden with Jesus and Sarayu. While the Bible is understood by some Christians to be a collection of parables, Sarayu tells Mack that Adam and Eve eating from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden really happened, and that it "tore the universe apart, divorcing the spiritual from the physical" (137). Jesus tells Mack that eating from the tree of knowledge gave Adam and Eve their independence, which led to people to create power hierarchies and judge one another. In this way, the tree takes on a negative connotation in the book.
Later, at Missy's burial at the shack, the tree returns as a symbol. After they have covered Missy's casket with dirt, Sarayu takes out a small bottle of Mack's tears and sprinkles them on the grave, causing flowers to grow. Sarayu finishes by dropping a special tear in the center of the burial plot. The author writes, "Immediately a small tree broke through the earth and began unbending itself from the spot, young and luxurious and stunning, growing and maturing until it burst into blossom and bloom" (235-6), and Sarayu tells Mack, "It is a tree of life, Mack, growing in the garden of your heart" (236). With this positive representation of a tree as youth, beauty, and recovery, the motif of trees becomes a lesson in the duality of life.
The Garden (Symbol)
Sarayu takes Mack into the garden at the shack to help her cut flowers and herbs and dig up a tree. He is shocked by the messy lack of order in the garden, but Sarayu tells him that it is actually "a fractal...something considered simple and orderly that is actually composed of repeated patterns" (131). At the end of the chapter, Sarayu reveals that the garden they were working on together is actually Mack's soul. Representing Mack's soul as a garden demonstrates how one's life can seem like a complicated series of choices and circumstances, but that what appears as disorder is actually patterns and beauty. Furthermore, by asking Mack to help her uproot a tree, especially one that didn't seem to be causing any problems, to make room for new growth, the author shows how one must accept change as one matures.
Missy's Casket (Symbol)
Early in The Shack, following the search for Missy, Mack's family must bury an empty coffin and try to move on with their lives. However, at the shack, Mack is able to have a proper burial for his daughter. Jesus constructs a casket for Missy that is covered in etchings. The author writes, "Details of Missy's life were carved into the wood. He found an engraving of Missy with her cat, Judas. There was another of Mack sitting in a chair reading Dr. Seuss to her. All the family was visible in scenes worked into the sides and top: Nan and Missy making cookies, the trip to Wallowa Lake with the tram ascending the mountain, and even Missy coloring at the camp table along with an accurate representation of the ladybug pin the killer had left behind" (234). This casket represents Missy's life completely; it does not show just the good parts that Mack might want to focus on, but the worst moments as well, like her abduction by the Little Ladykiller. The casket is then buried in Sarayu's garden, which we know represents Mack's soul, meaning Mack must accept the reality of his daughter's life and death, keeping it with him as he continues forward with his life.
