Shutter Island Analysis: The Role of Symbolism Anonymous 11th Grade

‘What’s interesting to me is how the story keeps changing, and the reality of what’s happening keeps changing, and how, up until the very final scene, it's all about how the truth is perceived.’ – Martin Scorsese, director of Shutter Island.

Scorsese’s film achieves this change in perception by using strong symbolism to give clues. During the film, two common symbols are fire and water. These symbols give meaning and tie all the ideas together, and the purpose of the symbols becomes clear during the final scenes. The main character, Teddy Daniels (Andrew Laeddis), also identifies the lighthouse on the island as a key place in the madness on the island. There are various shots and angles of the lighthouse, showing a difference in reality and perception. The film predominantly revolves around the perception of reality and truths, along with the fundamental, related ideas of sanity and insanity. The strong use of these symbols creates a deeper view into the ideas in the film.

Fire in the film shows the insight to Teddy’s mind, the constant use of fire in his dreams and hallucinations revolve around his insanity. The fire is also associated with Dolores in the film. He says that she died in an apartment fire, and that ‘Laeddis...