Lion To Guard Us Themes and Symbols

Themes, symbols, and literary analysis of Lion to Guard Us: Clyde Bulla's historial fiction novel about the Sea Adventure.

Themes

The themes in A Lion to Guard Us include:

• Jamestown
• Sea Venture (called Sea Adventure in the story)
• Shipwreck
• Family
• Safety
• Trust

Symbols

The most obvious symbol is the lion door knocker. It is easy to identify this as a central symbol because:

• It's in the title.
• It comes up frequently (see motiff below.)
• It is Jemmy's most prized possession.
• The last chapter ends with the door knocker.

The door knocker symbolizes safety and the hope of reconciling the family.

In the unit study, students are given several short activities related to theme and symbols. Symbols are identified as objects that represent a concept.

Students practice identifying common symbols and what they represent.

In this case, safety and family are BOTH symbols and themes. Often the symbols point to the major themes.

Motiff

A motiff is a repeating object or event that points to a symbol. In this case, the frequent appearance of the door knocker is the motiff.

In our unit study for elementary students, we do not identify motiff. (That is literary analysis for a higher grade.) But certainly the repetition of the door knocker makes it a motiff. It also supports the generalization that motiffs illuminate symbols and symbols illuminate themes. (Not always the case, but it often is true. Which it is in this book.)

Literary Analysis

The Action Plot is an important part of understanding a story. We start by identifying the:

• Setting
• Characters
• Dilemma

Students also identify the types of conflict:

• Person vs Person: Mrs Trippet not giving them their money
• Person vs Fate: Their mother's illness and death
• Person vs Society: Separation from their father.

Class roles and political controversy are other types of social conflict that appear later as their are castaways on a deserted island.

Literary Genre

A Lion to Guard Us is historical fiction, or more specifically children's historical fiction.

The sub-genre is historical fiction with fictitious main characters and historical minor characters. This allows the author free reign to have the characters support the theme without altering historical facts. The minor characters in this story are the major characters of Sea Venture's history. (They include Admiral Somers, Captain Newport, Governor Gates, Stephen Hopkins, John Rolfe, and Chris Carter and Robert Waters.)

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Our pages for A Lion To Guard Us

Clyde Bulla's Historical Fiction of Jamestown & the Sea Venture