Lion
Charley is dressed in a lion costume and roaring loudly as part of the illustration accompanying the text that lets the reader know that he sometimes enjoys acting like an everyday rowdy sort of five-year-old. The lion is a symbol indicating that Charley is not to be considered some sort of uncommunicative loner-type who would likely foster suspicions of his being on the extreme boundaries of the autism spectrum.
Turtle
On the very next page is another animal. Charley is lying on his stomach using watercolors to paint a turtle. He is copying the turtle from a picture in a book. Turtles are famous, of course, for withdrawing into their shell to avoid confrontation and since the text accompanying this illustration is about how Charley likes to be alone sometimes rather than being a lion, the symbolism should be obvious.
An Ostrich (Possibly)
It is difficult to determine for sure, but in the same book featuring the turtle there is a picture of the head of a bird. It certainly seems to resemble the head of an ostrich more than any more commonly found bird. The inherent symbolism also makes sense that it is not just an ostrich, but specifically the head of that large exotic bird. The myth of the ostrich—dating back to Biblical scripture, actually—is that it buries its head in the sand in strangely misguided attempt to evade predators. The symbolism attached to this fictional behavior can certainly be said to apply to many people who feel “different” and pursue equally misguided and vain attempts to hide from others or just disguise what it is about them that makes them feel discomfort in their differences.
The Picture on the Wall
There is a single framed photograph on the wall behind Charley and his mother as they sit on the sofa in their home. The photo contains just the two of them. The absence of Charley’s father is a very subtle use of symbolism indicating that differences apply not just to individuals, but groups. Charley and his mother represent a family unit that at one time was considered to be starkly “different” from the norm. That no explicit mention is even made of the lack of a male parental partner in the home forwards photograph as symbolic evidence that opinions about what is “different” can change significantly over time by refusing to behave like turtles or ostrich myths.
Art Supplies
Quite possibly the most subtle use of symbolism in the story is its use of art supplies. Charley’s drawing of the turtle—representing, remember, his desire to withdraw into his shell over the anxiety which comes upon him for feeling “different” when he wants to be alone—is quite obviously created with watercolor paint. In the next illustration, he is holding onto his painting of the turtle as his mother reminds him that being different is a good thing, not a bad thing. In the very next illustration and pretty much throughout the rest of the story, Charley is carrying his sketchbook, but the turtle painting is not seen again. The next time he is seen drawing it is with a pencil while crayons sit nearby. Emma has joined him by picking up a pencil and writing text. The symbolism here is not just subtle, but complex: watercolor paints are popular with parents because whatever is painted with them easily washes off, leaving no trace behind. The drawing pencil, charcoal pencil, and crayons that are used later tend to be much more permanent. The implication here is that Charley’s desire to react to his anxiety of being different by withdrawing into his shell has been washed away and his newfound sense of honor in being different is more permanent or, at the very least, not so easily cleared of any trace of its existence.
