Author's Note: Attention this is a raid. Do not try to run. Do not try to resist. This is a raid. That seemed to be the only words you could hear in the whole city when the raiders came to make sure everybody is doing what they need to be doing and if they're not then they're going to raid them. The people in Atlanta every single month have to hear those exact words hoping that the raiders won't go to there house and destroy everything they care about. This is my symbolism essay on the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver.
Lena; the main character in the book, is scared for her life everyday having to deal with the disease dangling over her head. Ever since she was little and found out that her mom; had the disease she was afraid that she was going to get it too. The disease symbolizes fear and sickness. Fear is what the people in the town have to deal with everyday fear and they were going to get the disease and that they wouldn't be able to control themselves, the only cure of the disease was to take out half of their heart since the disease was love that was the only cure. 'The disease' symbolises sickness because anyone that people think could possibly have the disease or know that they have disease are sick; if you're at a certain age you have to get the cure and even if you're under the age which is 18 and people think that you might have the disease you still might have to get the cure.
The people in the town are always thinking about the disease praying not to get and if they do they then have to get the cure for the disease. Some things that symbolize the sure would be troubles and the future. It symbolizes the future because you get the cure a week after you get your evaluation; the evaluation is when they get judged by a whole bunch of people and then the judges decide who and what the people should be for the rest of there lives. The cure also symbolises troubles because before you get the cure people are always scared and worried that maybe after they get the cure they still might have the disease. Some people like Hanna's mom did get the cure but then still ended up having the disease, for Hanna this is a everyday thing worrying that one day she will end up getting the disease if though she might already have the cure.
The cure is a huge part of the book since it may cause people to get better or worse depending on if they already have the disease or it might change there life in a huge way. Another big event that happened if the raid, the raid symbolises death and fear. When the raids happen lots of people invade your house and if they think or see you do anything that's illegal they'll kill you. When the raid happened Hanna is at the party and Lena wanted to go to the party because she wanted to save Hanna because she knew the raid was coming. A little while after Lena got there the raiders got there and everyone was screaming and yelling well you could see person after person dropping to the floor dead. The raids symbolize fear because everyone in Portland is always scared for the day the raiders come. Sometimes even though the people that are being raided didn't do anything wrong they might still be killed because even if they thought that you were doing something wrong or if you talk back to the raiders for invading your house they'll still kill you.
The raid also causes a lot of troubles all over the town since the raid is the day that lots of innocent people are killed and all the family can do is stand there and act like everything's ok. Even though for this raid Lena's house wasn't raided they went to there neighbor's house, when Lena went to the party to go save Hanna she ran into the neighbor's dog named Riley who was laying on the ground almost dead covered in blood. Riley symbolizes fear and depression. When Lena almost stepped on Riley since she thought he was a garbage bag but then when she looked down she sawing the glowing eyes of Riley and Riley was looking back at Lena with eyes that were sad and scared for what was going to happen next which he knew was going to be death. Fear because when Lena looked at him she thought about what the raiders could really do to Hanna and all the rest of the people that the party they could all end up like Riley dead on the side of the road no one caring because they couldn't.
Symbolism is a very strong characteristic in Delirium by how Lena things of things like her friends and what the things around her look like. Through the words that she puts in the story you can just tell that she wanted the reader to understand exactly what Lena or Hanna were thinking at certain times in the book. Lauren Oliver even gives the little things in the book details like what Portland looks like or what the Wilds look like from Black Cove.
