Eddie's leg was a symbol of sacrifice. One night while Eddie was in combat, Eddie, his captain, and the other soldiers were taken prisoner. Eddie came up with a plan to get them free. His plan was successful. Once they were free, they decided to set the camp on fire as revenge. Eddie thought that he saw a shadow in the fire, so he went in. He wouldn't come out, no matter how hard they tried to get him to come out. The captain sacrificed Eddie's leg to save his life by shooting him in the leg. Two other soldiers grabbed Eddie and pulled him out. The captain later died keeping his promise which was no man left behind. He was killed after he stepped on a roadside bomb.
Ruby Pier was a symbol of Eddie's life. This is where he spent most of his life. He worked here as a maintenance man, so he always had to be here. This is where he met his wife Marguerite. He was 17 years old when he met her here. He was so excited, he went home and told his parents about her. This is also where he died. He was saving a little girls life. Ruby Pier is where big moments of Eddie's life took place.
The children at Ruby Pier were a major part of Eddie's life. They symbolize things that brought Eddie happiness. He would see them everyday and they would always make him smile. Eddie even said that the little children liked him better than the teenagers. Everyday as he was riding the rides to make sure that they were working correctly, the children would always yell for them to sit with them. He was very loving and caring to the children.
Dog tags were a symbol in the book. They symbolized Eddie's days in the war. He fought in the Vietnam war. In the part where he met the captain in heaven, his head brushed up against a rifle. Hanging off the grips of the rifle, were dog tags that had his name on them. When he saw them, he begun reminiscing about his days in the war. He even told us why he enlisted. He enlisted because other people were fighting and he felt like he should be fighting too.