What does Rufus’ bike represent?

Rufus’ bike symbolizes Mateo’s fear of the outside world. When he first meets Rufus, he refuses to ride the bike and chastises Rufus for even considering this as a possible option for travel, telling him that “this bike is going to be the death of us” (141). When Rufus first meets Mateo, he is terrified of the outside world, worried that everything has the chance of killing them. He takes incredible precautions--avoiding elevators, carefully walking up stairs--to prevent them dying earlier than necessary. However, by the end of the novel, Mateo is able to ride the bike, symbolizing him conquering his fear of the world. He realizes that riding the bike “isn’t the worst thing” just as he realizes the world can be beautiful and exciting and not as scary as he thought (249).