Washington Square House

In Book 1, the Washington Square house symbolizes entrapment. Throughout David's life, the house has contrarily been a symbol of comfort and stability. However, as soon as Grandfather endows David with the house, the place becomes a prison, suddenly making him aware of his insular life's rigid parameters and litany of limitations.

The Free States

In Book 1, the Free States are a symbol of freedom. However, the freedom the Free States offers its citizens is neither pure nor comprehensive. Indeed, although citizens may marry, cohabitate with, and procreate with whomever they wish, the region is unfriendly to formerly enslaved individuals, particularly Blacks. The Free States also disparage connections between individuals of different social statuses. Therefore, the freedom the Free States purports to extend to all people is flawed and incomplete. In these ways, the author uses the Free States as a means of symbolically representing...