Bleachers

The lights on Rake Field, which have long been a symbol of the excitement of Friday night football games, take on a new meaning as Eddie Rake nears death. They are first introduced in the novel when Neely and his former teammates begin to reminisce on the bleachers. Paul informs Neely, who comments that it seems odd for the lights to be shining bright on a Tuesday, that “Rabbit leaves them on all night. His version of a vigil. When Rake dies, the lights go out” (31). Throughout the novel, the lights continue to evoke memories of the man himself, serving now as a symbol for Eddie Rake himself. When Rake dies at the end of the book, Rabbit dims the lights as he said he would. With the dimming of the lights comes a new chance at moving on for Neely and the other Spartans.

The bleachers that overlook The Field are a symbol of the duality of the shared experiences of football. When the Spartans reconvene to remember their days on The Field, the bleachers hold both good and bad memories. The bleachers are both a place that hold memories of “a crowd packed tightly together up there, in the bleachers, with the band in the center of things blaring away with its endless renditions of the Spartan fight song” (4).