Symbol

As a child, Jack feels powerless to control his unstable situation as he is moving constantly and living with unpredictable authority figures such as Dwight and his mother. However, when Jack receives a Winchester rifle, he is able to experience a newfound sense of empowerment. Throughout A Boy’s Life, guns symbolize a sense of power and authority.
When he has his gun aimed at passerbys, Jack “sometimes had to bite [his] lip to keep from laughing in the ecstasy of [his] power” (25). This first feeling of authority brings delight to Jack since it is something he had not previously encountered under the repressive role of Roy and the capricious nature of his mother. Because Jack “needed that rifle, for itself and for the way it completed [him]…” (23) he is unable to leave it behind when his mother and him move away from Roy. His inability to leave the rifle behind symbolizes his lack of confidence and control. Therefore, to Jack, the rifle is a necessary object which allows him to experience a sense of security.
When Jack meets Dwight, Dwight exchanges Jack’s rifle for an incompetent hunting dog. This exchange is an extended metaphor and symbolizes how Dwight usurps Jack’s sense of power and reciprocally is unable to fill the position of Jack’s father.
To Dwight, guns also symbolize a sense of control and clout. However, after Jack leaves Dwight, he returns to steal and sell Dwight’s gun. This symbolizes Jack’s seizure of the power that was previously taken by Dwight as well as the final realization of Jack’s recognition of his own power. Overall, to different characters, guns symbolize a sense of power and influence.