How does the author use symbolism in the novel, This Is How It Always Is?

The suit of armor in Penn’s fairy tale serves as a symbol of the ability to defend oneself from society through fantasy. The suit of armor outside Grumwald’s bedroom contains an endless “story wanting to get out” (29). The function of armor is defensive. When Grumwald wishes to leave home, he has “infinite stories to see him through, words without end to light his way, to tell him out of any danger” (106). The ability to create stories is one’s armor when one goes out in the world; associated with Poppy’s ability to create her own identity, it promises to protect her from the community.