The balloons
The balloons are the main symbol in the poem ‘’The Armadillo’’. The narrator describes how the people in an unnamed human settlement light balloons every year even though doing so is illegal. The balloons then rise towards the sky until they become almost like stars. Sometimes, some balloons return back to earth and start fires, affecting the environment and the animals present there. The balloons are used in this context as a symbol to suggest the dangerous ideas a person may have. Those ideas may appear as being like wonderful ideas a person may have but they can be real dangerous and cause a lot of harm.
The doily
In the poem ‘’Filling Station’’, after the narrator describes the sons and the father, it is mentioned how in their house there is a doily lamp, sitting near comic books. The lamp stands out from the other elements in the room but the narrator claims that it fits right it. The lamp is used here as a symbol for affection and the idea transmitted is that everyone deserves affection.
Symbol for civilization
In the poem ‘’Arrival at Santos’’ the narrator mentions how she was surprised to see a flag and women and men with coins and money. The two elements mentioned above, money and the flag, are used here as symbols for civilization.
The small animals
Another symbol in the poem ‘’The Armadillo’’ are the animals present at the end of the poems. The animals are used here as a symbol to refer to the innocent people affected during conflicts. The animals are forced to leave their home just like those living in conflict-prone areas are often forced to leave as well.
The storm
The storm is a symbol that appears in the poem ‘’Little Exercise’’. The storm is presented as being a tragic event for some while some are not affected by all by it. Thus, the storm is used here as a symbol to suggest the problems most people have to go through.
