Lightning symbolizes the hardships that Silas encounters, thereby developing The Journey of Self-Discovery and Personal Growth. Lightning helps shape Silas into who he is, both physically and emotionally. As a child, Silas shelters beneath a tree during a lightning storm, and when the tree is struck by lightning, the lightning inflicts a tree-shaped scar on Silas’s back that marks him as unique. After surviving the lightning strike, Silas also becomes emotionally unique because he feels that he has already overcome a nearly impossible challenge. As a result, he is more confident in his abilities to overcome future challenges as well. Whenever he is reminded of the fact that he survived a lightning strike, he feels a renewed sense of faith and confidence.

Lightning also symbolizes The Tangible Effects of the Supernatural. Surviving the lightning strike is so unlikely that it almost seems impossible, but there is nothing supernatural about lightning. This detail from Silas’s past implies that real events can be just as strange as supernatural ones. In the mid-19th century, the phenomenon of scars being imprinted onto the skin via lightning was still being studied, and although a few cases had been documented, the scientific principles behind it were not yet fully understood.