#as a general rule of thumb any symbolism you find in jtta is accidental BUT there is the occasional part

[journey-to-the-attic]

re-reading the minecraft chapter for the billionth time (it's my favourite....) and maybe i've been doing too much english lit lately but please tell me if it's deliberate symbolism in the scene where ik finds satan on the iceberg.

let me explain. ik struggling to climb up the iceberg represents all the setbacks she encounters through the year, like getting attacked or her own hangups, but she keeps climbing to get to where satan is at the top, which is her determination to offer kindness even though it gets her hurt. and then she slips and loses her progress, which foreshadows the moment when her relationship with the others is sort of 'reset' when they lose their memories later, but satan pulls her up, which is like the brothers reaching for her rather than the other way around, and bringing her up to the top (to the family). also symbolic since satan is the only brother who remembers at first.

please tell me i'm right because this is destroying me??

unfortunately i didn't do that deliberately, but this is an absolutely valid analysis of the scene! i won't pretend to be an eng lit expert (it's been so long since i did the gcse), but i really like your interpretation - crazy the sort of things that fall into place without you noticing during the process...