The type of water in a story or novel is just as important as the fact that water is used as a symbol. Rivers often represent the flow of life or fertility. Rivers are typically used as symbols by authors because rivers flow; they are constantly moving and they follow a distinct path. Oceans, on the other hand, because of their scope in relation to the earth, often represent obstacles or abysses from which things emerge or that characters must journey across to reach a destination. Oceans are...