The literary device of symbolism appears in a large number of short stories and novels. When everyday words actually mean something completely different, it exemplifies the meaning of the word symbolism. Symbolism usually requires a deep understanding of the work and how the author views the particular work. Symbolism occurs in the novel Life of Pi: A Novel in abundant quantities. Yann Martel has placed many words with different meanings well in Life of Pi: A Novel. The short story "Beach Glass", by Amy Clampitt, also gets a lot of symbolism and these symbols are similar and opposite to the representations found in the story Life of Pi: A Novel. Pollution, housing, and the ocean all appear as different symbols in both literary works. A scene in “Beach Glass” compares and contrasts with parts of Life of Pi: A Novel. This section of “Beach Glass” talks about a “shipwreck” (Clampitt 701) and other objects found in the ocean. Initially, this section appears to belong to a real ship that crashed. The ship crashing in “Beach Glass” and Life of Pi: A Novel appears as a similar topic. These scenes are about how a ship crash affects both Pi and the story of “Beach Glass.” But looking at “Beach Glass” as a whole gives a deeper meaning than just one ship crashing. Shipwrecks and all the different things found in the ocean are actually more comparable to the overall pollution of the water. Both stories contain pollution in their respective oceans. The pollution symbolizes the decaying state of the oceans and how pollution continues to accumulate without anyone taking care of it. The author of “Beach Glass” explains things seen in the ocean that hurt animals and or… middle of paper… religion and ancient history. Symbolism explains certain events without openly stating them out loud. Finding symbolism within a work can take a bit of scratching the surface. Or it might take a huge mining operation to find all the symbolism. Authors use symbolism in both small and large works of writing. Symbols appear in stories and novels. The novel Life of Pi: A Novel and the short story “Beach Glass” contain similar symbolism. Pollution, housing, and the lack of care for the oceans all appear in “Beach Glass” and Life of Pi: A Novel. These symbols compare and contrast well together. These symbols in both stories make the reader understand the concept that Yann Martel and Amy Clampitt are trying to convey. Reading and understanding these symbols leads to a deeper and more accurate understanding of these literary works.