Symbolism in Stories I've Read

I think that "August Heat" has a symbol that is very strong. It tells us how fate can meet us so quickly and how that we should try to live our life naturally. Another story that I think is good, is the story "Sniper", I like how it showed the tension between the two sniper and how in the end it is eased out by finding out who the killed sniper was. It shows us how war can tear close people apart and how opinions can really hurt people badly. In the "Sniper" short story, we see that the other enemy sniper was his brother, therefore it tells us that personal things can get in between wars. In another story, this one quite a bit longer, is "The Christmas Carol". The story tells us how if we are bad to others, there will be a horrible punishment awaiting for you. Another symbol that I think is one of the greatest for high school students today is "Initiation". In "Initiation" we see how a girl struggles to join a fraternity group and how she gives up a lot of her important things just for it. In the end the girl realizes how that it was all useless. What it tells people is to be themselves, and I think it is something that everyone has to do as high schoolers.