Coin Flip (Symbol)
Governor Happy Hopper must appoint a new senator after the sitting one dies in office. Big Jim Taylor’s political machine puts forward a party hack, which Hopper wants to resist, but he also knows that he will face the consequences if he puts forth the people's choice, a reformer. After the Governor’s sons urge him to appoint Jefferson Smith, the popular leader of the Boy Rangers, Hopper gets so overwhelmed that he flips a coin to decide between Taylor's choice and the people's choice. Miraculously enough, the coin lands upright on its edge...right on top of a newspaper article about Jefferson Smith. The image of the coin on its side represents just how arbitrary politics is, how it is determined not by what is right, but often by completely chance events.
Daniel Webster's Desk
The young Senate page who shows Smith to his desk on the Senate floor informs him that the desk used to belong to Daniel Webster. Webster is widely considered the greatest political orator in American history, and this fact makes the desk a symbol of the oratory powers that Smith will muster in order to call a filibuster later in the film. While it seems that Smith's preoccupation with the desk's former user is simply another symptom of his naiveté, by the end of the film we see that it is not such a coincidence that Smith ended up with Webster's desk, as it has empowered him to speak up articulately, with passion and zeal, on behalf of the country he loves.
The Lincoln Memorial (Symbol)
Upon arriving in Washington, Smith goes to visit the Lincoln Memorial, and marvels at the image of one of his favorite presidents, Abraham Lincoln. He reads the Gettysburg Address, one of Lincoln's most famous speeches, and a testament to the equality of men and a reminder of American ideals. Later, when he is discouraged by the corruption of Washington, Smith goes back to the memorial and weeps, defeated by the system. Saunders appears, and encourages him to fight for what he believes in. The Lincoln Memorial, in both instances, represents Abraham Lincoln, an American president celebrated for his leadership and his belief in America as a country. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington it comes to symbolize the importance of fighting for one's beliefs and the integrity of the American dream.
Standing up (Motif)
Taylor is a brute, a mean bully who will not take "no" for an answer. He bolsters his political intimidation with his physical presence, which is large and intimidating, and when he wants to manipulate someone into doing his bidding, he often stands over them, daring them to try and cross him. First he does this with Hopper, and Hopper stands up in front of him, trying to fight back against his corruption. Soon enough, however, he sits back down, overwhelmed by the pressure Taylor is putting on him.
Later, when Taylor is trying to talk Smith out of fighting back, he stands above Smith threateningly, and Smith stands up, as Hopper did. In both instances, physically standing up represents the ways that the two characters (to varying levels of success) are attempting to stand up to and resist Taylor's bullying.
The Boys' Camp (Symbol)
While in office, Senator Smith's desire is to create a boys' camp in which boys from all walks of life can attend a wilderness camp together and learn to reach across difference and work for the common good. He hopes that in making a camp, he will show young people the beauty of the country and of nature, and teach them to work together to find commonality and mutual respect. The camp comes to symbolize American idealism and Smith's sense of possibility, a representation of the conviviality and neighborly spirit that Smith wishes there were more of in the world. Discouraged by the cold and cynical ethics of Washington, Smith becomes determined to build a place that represents the most important parts of American identity, such as liberty, a love of nature, and equality between people from different walks of life.
