Ray Bradbury may have cast Doug as the 12-year-old protagonist in Dandelion Wine, but I remain convinced that Bradbury put pen to paper for my childhood. Part of the reason Doug's character resonates with me so much comes from Bradbury's use of symbolic language. Because symbolism leaves the interpretation of the text's meaning up to the audience, each reader draws a different interpretation of the text based on their own personal experiences. By imagining the experience associated with Bradbury's images, the reader gains a deeper understanding of the story. Bradbury effectively uses symbolism in Dandelion Wine to help the audience perceive the meaning of the text and to convey the messages that form the overall theme of the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Bradbury reveals Doug's youthful nature in the form of animals, allowing the reader to visually imagine Doug's mental and physical characteristics. After Doug becomes aware of his existence, Bradbury writes, “Douglas, with his eyes closed, saw a spotted leopard in the darkness” (10). When Doug opens his eyes, Bradbury states, “Leopards trotted silently through darker lands where eyeballs could not turn to follow them” (10). From a 12-year-old's perspective, leopards look like the fastest and scariest animals in the world. The reader imagines the leopards and understands that Doug's awareness of their existence has affected him unexpectedly, leading him to be rightfully afraid. When Doug opens his eyes, the leopards disappear because mortality now occupies his fears. Doug's enlightenment about his existence marks a slight change in his transition from boy to man. Another example within the text where Bradbury symbolically employs animals materializes when Doug buys shoes. After Doug ties the tennis shoes on his feet, the shoe salesman asks Doug if the shoes look like antelope or gazelle. Bradbury then writes what tennis shoes feel like: “Beautiful creatures leaping under the sky, through the bushes, under the trees, far away, and only the soft echo their run leaves behind” (25). Most children have a wild streak, which makes them exude energy and excitement. Antelopes and gazelles perfectly capture the wild nature characteristic of children like Doug because the two animals can often be found leaping and bounding in the grasslands. By symbolically comparing Doug's attributes to animals, Bradbury helps the audience perceive the youthful tone of the novel. In another complexity of his narrative, Bradbury symbolically exposes the limited nature of machines to communicate the message that human relationships prove more important than technology. Although Dandelion Wine is set in 1928, when technology was scarce, Bradbury includes various types of machines in his novel. In one instance within the text, Leo Auffmann, Doug's neighbor, attempts to build a machine that captures happiness. Leo's “Happiness Machine” brings more sadness than happiness and ends up catching fire (Bradbury 61). Leo realizes that the real Happiness Machine was “patented a couple of thousand years ago,” “still works,” and has “been here forever,” meaning that true happiness exists in family dynamics (Bradbury 62 ). Another example of Bradbury's message denying mechanical skill exists in the ever-changing nature of technology. Doug develops a fascination with the city's streetcar and relies on it for all his travel needs.