How does the author use symbolism in the novel, The Underneath?

The loblolly pine is an important symbol in this story. It was planted when Hawk Man captured Grandmother in the jar and then buried the jar near the creek. The tree has grown for about one thousand years before it is struck by lightning on the same night that Gar Face leaves his home. Puck takes refuge in the tree’s empty trunk until it falls down in a thunderstorm. When the tree falls, it gives Puck the bridge he needs to reach Sabine and Ranger. It also frees Grandmother from the jar in which she has been imprisoned.