A Lion to Guard Us

The door knocker, which was once on the front door of the Freebold’s house in London, is described as “a small lion’s head made of brass” with a brass bar hanging from its mouth (13). It symbolizes a time when the family was all together, united under one roof. When the house was sold, the father gave the children, specifically Jemmy, the door knocker as a “lion to guard” them while he was away in America (13). Throughout the novel, Jemmy keeps the door knocker to remind them that they will be reunited with their father, making the door knocker a symbol of hope.

The door knocker is also important in Jemmy’s transformation as a character. On the Sea Adventure, he uses it in childish ways, knocking it against the wooden ship and saying, “Knock-knock, here comes Jemmy!” and bragging to the Hopkins’s children that it is made of gold rather than brass (67). However, when it is stolen by Master Waters, Jemmy takes the initiative to retrieve it before the ships sail for Virginia. This makes it a symbol of Jemmy’s growing independence and budding masculinity—the door knocker motivates him to act heroically and confront the thief. The door knocker also sparks their father’s memory when the family is reunited, reflecting the light and brightening the room.