How does the author use symbolism in the novel, The Wild Robot?

The author uses winter and snow to symbolize death. Snow falls during the winter when the world turns gray, cold, and lifeless. The snow also comes to claim the lives of many animals on the island because they freeze to death. The snow temporarily disorients Brightbill and the other geese as they fly south for the winter, putting their lives in grave danger. The snow is only countered by the lodges that Roz builds to save the animals and by the arrival of warmer temperatures in the spring.