In the three novels: Boys in the Boat, Into the Wild, and Wild, shelter is portrayed by the authors in various different ways. The characters view shelter a certain way in each story, and they behave in a certain way when inside or near the shelter. Certain key events to the story take place inside, giving a connotation to the indoor setting. Shelter can be viewed as a symbol in all three of the novels that contributes to the overall theme. In the novel Boys in the Boat, shelter is a symbol of hard work and of Joe’s family life. Joe, the main character, often lives in unfinished or very small structures. The fact that the structure is small is a symbol that there is a lot of work to do. Joe still has to earn his degree and finish the rowing season. In addition, he has to work hard to continue to pay for college. The unfinished status of Joe’s home in Sequim and the small residence in the mining camp represents how his family is “unfinished” and how hard they have to work to make a living. Thula, Joe’s…show more content… The main character’s previous life of drug use and unfaithfulness took place in a shelter so her actions would not be publicly known. When she had affairs with Joe, the heroin user, she always did it in his apartment so Paul, her husband at the time would not find out. In addition, she took heroin in Joe’s apartment which was only known to Joe at the time. Residing in a shelter made Cheryl feel safe and able to get away with engaging in some bad activities. When she met a different person on the beach, she was hesitant to engage in a questionable activity with this man because she wasn’t in a private shelter, instead they used an arrangement of rocks on the beach to try to keep their activity private from other beach visitors. While shelter can make one feel safe, it can make one feel a little too safe and become a place for bad behavior to