Symbolism In The Secret Lion By Alberto Rios

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The Secret Lion
“The Secret Lion” is a short story by Alberto Rios that has an abundance of symbolism. The lion, the arroyo river, the grinding ball, and even the gold course all withhold major examples of symbolic meanings. All of these symbolic meanings point the theme in the direction of maturation. All of the symbolism in this story is expressed through a twelve-year-old boy, which just happens to be the one telling the story, and Sergio, his friend.
One of the main examples of symbolism in this story is the title itself, the lion. The lion can represent many things depending on the readers’ outlook on the situation. One could say the title of this story is symbolic for the way that change can sneak upon you and happen in an instant, similar to a lion, the boy says "something happened that we didn't have a name for, but it was there nonetheless like a lion, and roaring, roaring that way the biggest things do"(Rios #43). This shows how the author feels about maturation. He feels as if life has attacked him and made everything chaotic and he has to escape to keep things the way th...

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