Train (Symbol)
Little boy David got a train on the Christmas. It was the best present ever for him and after many years had passed, he still remembers his happiness when he got it. Train was a symbol of his best moment in life, when there were no troubles, when he was happy child and everybody loved him and took care of him. He needed this train to feel safety, it was a kind of escape from the terrible reality of his life. that’s why at the end of the story he is going to his aunt by the train, although he doesn’t know what is waiting for him when he get there, he feels better, because the train calms him down.
Neon Bible (Symbol)
Little David saw the neon Bible out of his window and it seemed like a "beautiful prayer" for him; he was praying again and again without even thinking of what he was praying about. The neon Bible is the symbol of faith for the boy, the symbol of God, he believed in its power and it made him feel better every time he was looking at it.
Fear (Motif)
Since his early childhood, David was not a typical child. He didn’t have friends, all his free time he spent either with his Aunt Mae or his mother. He was reserved, constantly thinking over different things. And he was afraid of life. He was afraid to stay lonely, to talk the girl he liked, to disappoint his mother. Even when he grew up and had a job, he was afraid to stay alone with his sick mother. After her death he was afraid of his future without her, he didn’t know what to do, and this fear was a catalyst of his madness – he killed a preacher because he was afraid of him and he left the town because he was afraid.
