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Friendship Bracelets
Coins (mostly nickels) serve several symbolic purposes. Ally first sees coins as a straightforward symbol for Grandpa and Dad, who introduced her and Travis to coin collecting when they were very young. Collecting coins is a way for both Ally and Travis to connect to their deceased grandfather and deployed father, thereby remembering the importance of their familial connections. However, it takes much longer for Ally to see that because of the nature of coin collecting, coins can also act as representations of the importance and the value of diversity and difference—after all, as Travis and one pawnshop salesman point out, coins are only collectible when they're some combination of rare, flawed, or somehow different than their brethren.
Coins Quotes in Fish in a Tree
The Fish in a Tree quotes below all refer to the symbol of Coins. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 6
Quotes
“Well,” the guy says, “if you know anything about coins, you know that a coin with a flaw in it is far more valuable than a regular coin.”
Something isn't right with it and it's worth more?
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Chapter 9
Quotes
As I walk back to my seat, I think of how when Dad left, he said that when we look at the steel pennies, we need to remember that we are unique, too. And also, that things will go back to normal for us—that he'll be home before we know it.
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Chapter 23
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Even when I do something right, I feel like I've done something wrong. If I were a coin, I'd be a wooden nickel.
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Coins Symbol Timeline in Fish in a Tree
The timeline below shows where the symbol Coins appears in Fish in a Tree. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5: Silver Dollars and Wooden Nickels
...instantly better when Travis walks in, smelling of grease. He says he had a " silver dollar day," and Ally explains that in her family, they have silver dollar days (good days)...
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Chapter 6: Triple-Sided Coin
...smells like old memories of Dad and Grandpa taking Travis and Ally out looking for coins. The salesman doesn't say hello and doesn't take Travis seriously when he says he wants...
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The salesman pulls out a very small penny. Travis inspects it and asks for a price. The man reminds Travis that a coin...
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Ally is elated as she accepts the dime outside the shop. Travis explains that both coins were minted in 1933, the year of Grandpa's birth. As they get in the car,...
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Chapter 9: Bag Full of Nothing
...is allergic. Mr. Daniels encourages her to share anything. Finally, Ally pulls a 1943 steel penny out of her pocket. She explains that Dad gave both her and Travis steel pennies...
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Chapter 20: Is This a Good Thing?
The Walking Liberty half-dollar hangs from the rearview, and Ally feels as though Dad and Grandpa are there too....
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Chapter 23: Words That Breathe
...though she answered right, and thinks she'd be a wooden nickel if she were a coin.
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Chapter 29: Fish in a Tree
...gets off the bus to visit the Noah Webster House. Ally thinks it'll be a silver dollar day as Albert starts filling his pockets with acorns. Oliver and Max throw acorns at...
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