Question

read the excerpt from \the scarlet ibis.\
there is within me (and with sadness i have watched it in others) a knot of cruelty borne by the stream of love, much as our blood sometimes bears the seed of our destruction, and at times i was mean to doodle. one day i took him up to the barn loft and showed him his casket, telling him how we all had believed he would die. it was covered with a film of paris green sprinkled to kill the rats, and screech owls had built a nest inside it.
doodle studied the mahogany box for a long time, then said, \its not mine.\
\it is,\ i said. \and before ill help you down from the loft, youre going to have to touch it.\
what symbol is described in this excerpt, and what does it represent?
○ the owls, which symbolize knowledge and wisdom
○ the nest, which symbolizes home and family
○ the rats, which symbolize cruelty and sadness
○ the casket, which symbolizes the loss of doodle

Explanation:

In literature, symbols are used to represent abstract ideas. The casket is a symbol here. Doodle's family thought he would die, so the casket was prepared. Later, Doodle does die. The casket in this context is associated with his potential and actual loss. Owls, nest, and rats are just elements in the description of the casket's setting and don't carry the symbolic weight related to Doodle's fate as strongly as the casket does.

Answer:

the casket, which symbolizes the loss of Doodle