I'm the King of the Castle.

Symbolism's in the Novel

The crow
The crow in chapter 3 symbolizes Hooper as the oppressor because both Hooper and the crow oppress Kingshaw to a breaking point that it makes him want to runway. The Crow might also foreshadow a death because according to Angana Thackata a black crow signifies death. Also the crow gives a sense of evil because we usually associate sinister and mysterious places by having crows at the entrance of the actual place. Also another symbol that the crow might have is that usually crows feed on corn and the spesific corn would be protected by a scarecrow however the scarecrow would still take all the hits and assults of the crow but all in hopes of gaining the corn. This could sybolize that Warings is the corn, The scarecrow is Kingshaw and the crow is Hooper.

Dead moths 
The dead moths can symbolize the decaying legacy of the Hooper's, as time goes on there is no one to keep the family name because Hooper would not want to have any kids because in his eyes the house Warings belongs to him and only him. He would want to rule it with an iron fist as if he was a member of a royal family and having the house passed on. The dead moths could also mean that before there was a lot of life in the house however because of the lack of femininity in the house it has turned hard and a lot of the love has gone. Another symbol could be that because the dead moths were found in the red room maybe the red room could symbolize Kingshaw's mind and the dead moths could be the dead brain cells that has broken apart because they would not have been able to withstand the constant and daily torments from Hooper.

The Red room

The red room in IKOTC could symbolize Kingshaws mind and how Hooper has a key to his mind thus meaning that he knows exactly what Kingshaw would be thinking, his Likes, his Dislikes, fears. Also the idea that there are dead moths inside the red room can symbolize the dead brain cells that has just crumbled under the torment of the oppressor, the oppressor being Hooper. Another idea could be that because Hooper knows where to find the key he practically has the power to either go inside the room or lock it up thus showing us, the reader how by him having the key can make him feel like he is the king of the red room. Also by trapping Kingshaw in the room he makes it seem like he is entrapping Kingshaw's freedom to roam around freely like a normal person and Hooper having the key makes it seem like he has the power to either keep him the was he is or to release him from the daily torments and oppression.  



Warings 
When someone says Warings the other person might perceive it as saying Warnings thus implying that the house's name already sound very sinister. The fact that there is a private hidden room locked away should imply that the people who built the house are not very open, they are secretive. The actual building its self would have been old and worn away this could suggest that the house could be personifying Mr Hooper how he is old and may has come to age. Also Warings would thus belong to Hooper once Mr Hooper dies thus referring to the slow take over of Hooper though Mr Hooper's life. Hill describes the house as if it was a castle because of Hooper trying to defend the house against invaders, these invaders being Kingshaw and Mrs Kingshaw. This thus shows how Hooper was brought up in military fashion. Hill keeps on using the military styled words to describe what Hooper is feeling.