The murder of Leroy Fry
The murder of Leroy symbolizes the unanticipated insecurity in the military academy. The military academy has a good reputation, but the murder paints a bad picture of the institution to the public. Making matters worse, the heads of the armed forces in the institution do not know the truth about the murder, and they are forced to invite Lander to help them investigate the murder and bring the culprit into the book.
The black magic
The missing heart from Leroy's corpse symbolizes the black magic in the novel. Initially, the body of the murdered cadet disappears mysterious, and then it reappears with a missing heart. The authorities in the academy do not know what is happening, but they are scared of the unfolding events. The heart from the body was intentionally used to be used in black magic, raising worries about the cadets' security in the academy.
The symbolism of intelligence
The author figuratively uses the character Poe to represent intelligence. The novel demonstrates that intelligence is not measured by discipline. Poe is indisciplined because he does not attend military parades, and he does not observe the spirit of mild insolence. However, Lander identifies as the most intelligent person among the many cadets to help him uncover the mystery surrounding Leroy's death. Poe is sharp, focused, and result-oriented, among the many attributes that make him intelligent.
