Symbolism In Nailer's Ship Breaker

The symbolism of the Clipper Ships within Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker is a literary representation of humanity’s need for freedom in order to survive. Over the course of the novel, Nailer’s desire for independence become increasingly evident and the clipper ships epitomize the need for a certain degree of self-governance in one’s life. The importance of freedom is first displayed as Nailer begins to ponder the meaning of his existence. As Nailer enters a period of deep thought, he becomes more focused on a, “Clipper ship as it sliced across the waters, sleek and fast and completely out of reach.” (Bacigalupi 7) For the first time, Nailer is given a glimpse of what has been hidden from him and as a result, he gains a new perspective on life. Seeing the clipper ship provides Nailer with insight regarding the “sleek” nature of life …show more content…
As Nailer begins to show signs of giving up the battle against his infection, he becomes more like “rusting iron”, as his infection causes his body to deteriorate to “[breaking]” point. It is essentially when Nailer loses his idea of freedom that he also loses a grip on reality and begins to question the meaning of his life. Not only is a lack of freedom causing for Nailer’s physical health to deteriorate, but his perception of himself and the world around him begins to “[rust]”. It is ultimately the combination of possible life altering events along with a withdrawal of freedom that causes one’s mental and physical health to become “destroyed”. When this occurs, humanity starts to find the meaning of life become “out of reach” and one’s survival becomes in jeopardy. As a result, with the aid of the clipper ships, Paolo Bacigalupi is clearly able to display humanity’s need for freedom in order to sustain life.
The train within the novel Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi is a delineation of humanity’s need to adapt in order to survive. As the plot unfolds, several of the novel’s